Partida Reposado
Partida Reposado
By David Robinson 9.9.2013
I am not going to deny that I am a sucker for branding. I guess thats why it exists. One bottle of Tequila that has always grabbed by attention is Partida. Partida to me feels like it has been around forever. It was only when I started researching this brand I discovered that it only came into being in 2001. The founder of Partida, J.Gary Shansby, a noted brilliant brand builder, who had a passion for Premium Spirits and Mexico. A man that realised the potential for an ultra premium Tequila, marketed to both female & males. Traditionally Tequila had been marked as a very masculine spirit, whereas a large proportion of the market was female. This was the beginning on Partida.
On this Particular occasion I decided it was the Reposado for me. Partida Reposado is aged for six months in one-pass American Oak Jack Daniels Barrels. All agaves in Partida are grown in 100% estate owned Racheros in the Tequila Valley Region (lowlands). The agaves are cooked for 20 hours in state of the art stainless steel ovens, that apparently creates a “smoother, cleaner agave taste”. The tequila is double distilled under temperature control conditions.
Partida Reposado has to be one of the better balanced Reposados that I have ever tried. It very much has its own house style and will appeal to most palates.
It has a lovely clear golden colour and a nose that is full of spice, caramel and vanilla bean. Where this Tequila really shines, is in the most important part, the taste. Upfront it starts with a hit of black pepper, then progresses to cooked agave, with a nice progression to a creamy vanilla. Partida has good length and a hit of acid with very little burn from the alcohol. Very smooth. A really good example of a tequila that has really good balance between agave and oak integration.
On a side note, Partida was awarded Five Stars in all three categories, Blanco, Reposado and Anejo, in America’s leading spirit review publication, The Spirit Journal. The only Tequila to ever receive this distinction. Not a bad wrap.
Saludos from Down Under
