JH El Torito Blanco Tequila 

The Tequila That Pulled a Fast One

At first sip, I thought I got hustled. Eighty-five bucks on a bottle I knew nothing about? I stared at it like it had just borrowed my truck, hit every pothole in town, and brought it back on fumes—no gas, no apology, and maybe a new dent I didn’t notice before. It left me standing there wondering what I’d done to deserve this kind of betrayal.

But here’s the twist—this one grew on me. Slowly. Sneakily. Like the background character in a sitcom who ends up stealing the show by season three.

Now, it is from NOM 1579, which is tequila royalty. So I gave it another shot. And another. And at some point—maybe it opened up, maybe I did—I realized I didn’t hate it anymore. In fact, I kinda liked it.

The flavor hits with cooked agave front and center. Solid. Honest. Then comes a curveball: black licorice. Not the cheap kind from the dollar bin—more like the weird-but-fancy stuff your friend brings back from Europe. A little citrus floats in and out, so faint it’s like you smelled an orange two counties over. Then pepper rolls in and ties it all together like a spicy little bow.

The mouthfeel? Viscous. Rich. Coats your mouth like it’s trying to sublet your tongue for the weekend. And the nose? Cheesy. Not “nacho night” cheesy—more like aged funk, blue-ribbon dairy funk. It’s weird, I won’t lie. But somehow, it works. Like a goat in a sweater. You don’t expect to like it—but there you are, smiling anyway.

I ended up bumping this up a full point from my initial review. Something clicked. Maybe my taste buds got their act together. Maybe I just got tired of being mad at it. But it turned a corner, and now we’re cool.

Sip-Worthy Rating: 🥃🥃🥃½ (3.5 Tequila Glasses)