Review: Casa Obsidiana Tequila, Complete Lineup
So this is the tequila with the wacky bottles. And the wild prices, too.
Now look, I roll my eyes at stuff like this too. Those tall ceramic tequila bottles are gimmicks full of workmanlike product, and Obsidiana’s seem over the top. However… there’s some interesting production going on here, most notably in the aging, which doesn’t use bourbon barrels but rather French oak casks that held Napa Valley Chardonnay for Boisset. Even the blanco gets some age on it.
Jean-Charles Boisset is one of the brains behind this tequila, along with Jorge and Roberto Bechmann Gonzalez and Master Tequilero Francisco Quijano. I don’t know much about the other fellas, but I have always had great experiences with Boisset, so I’m willing to put aside my skepticism about these bottles and these prices and see what this quartet has managed to create. Let’s go.
Each expression is 80 proof. Reviewed: Batch #1 for each.
Casa Obsidiana Tequila Blanco – Very lightly aged: Finished for 16 days in those French oak casks that held Boisset Napa Valley Chardonnay. That’s enough to give it some color, but the nose is all pepper and spice at first. Underneath, layers of vanilla-soaked pastries and some caramel, plus a hint of lemon peel. Bright and clean on the palate, the enduring layers of vanilla, chocolate, and lemon made me double check to ensure I’d poured the blanco instead of the reposado, which this clearly evokes. Almost cookie-like at times with its baking spices, though the punchy agave pushes through with a light layer of white pepper. A true delight from start to finish, though a far cry from the traditional blanco tequila experience. A / $190 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Casa Obsidiana Tequila Reposado – Same stuff, finished for 4 months in Chardonnay barrels. Deeper gold color, and a few minutes in glass brings out a strong coconut character on the nose, alongside the persistent notes of vanilla and caramel. Again there’s a lemony punch to temper some of the sweeter aromas. The palate I found curious. Surprisingly hearty compared to the blanco, the agave’s herbal qualities become more persistent here, with a stronger punch of pepper, some jalapeno, and an edge of greenery. That coconut quality in the blanco endures here, along with a stronger chocolate note on the finish — darker and more bitter than what’s found in the blanco, but still on point for the reposado style. A- / $250 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Casa Obsidiana Tequila Anejo – Aged 15 months in Chardonnay casks. Again, the tequila doesn’t strike as expected. Lots of coconut and sesame seed oil on the nose, then lush with the character of vanilla cream pie. While it’s got a traditional anejo aroma, the palate diverges to showcase immediately a strong punch of peppery agave — grassy, green, and quite herbal, the very notes I would have expected to dominate on the blanco, not the anejo. The fruit notes here are more bittersweet and peel-driven, with orange dominating over the lemon seen in the above expressions. A little gritty on the finish, with a toasty, tannic quality. While the other tequilas definitely evoke Chardonnay, this tequila feels oddly more like it’s spent time in a red wine cask. B+ / $330 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Casa Obsidiana Tequila Blanco
$190
Just thought I’d pass along that after reading this I found some much better prices than the one’s you listed. In case anyone wanted to try them out at an affordable price: https://bottlestork.com/search?q=Casa+Obsidiana&type=product