Taste is the primary factor in selecting which tequila I want to drink, and Casa Noble stands out in the flavor department. Yes, that’s a USDA Certified Organic tag that hangs from the neck of the beautifully curved, short and square bottle. It reflects Casa Noble's commitment to a high-quality, natural product and also to preserving the environment. The brand is one in only a handful of tequila brands that meet the USDA standards and is going even further in their mission to reduce pollution and conserve soil and water for future generations. With continuing efforts and considerable expense, Casa Noble... ...is striving to meet even stricter standards of 100% sustainability. On a visit to La Cofradia a few months ago, Casa Noble’s International Tequila Ambassador, David Yan, said they are about 96% complete in meeting this goal.Casa Noble Crystal (Blanco) Tasting Notes
What a great bouquet! The nose on the blanco ("Crystal") is nicely balanced between vegetal and sweet. After allowing it to breathe it blooms with notes of ripe mango, floral agave, and a subtle chocolate-like scent. Casa Noble is triple-distilled, and therefore very soft upon entry. The agave upstages a mild peppery zip that is not at all astringent. It nibbles but doesn’t bite, allowing an appreciation of this complex, fresh-tasting blanco that’s packed with flavor: agave, citrus, and even a little butter and asparagus. It approaches bitterness but veers toward fruity and floral as it finishes, leaving a baked agave aftertaste.
The Good: Well-balanced nose and body. This is one of the best triple-distilled blancos - it doesn’t smooth out the tequila so much that it completely puts out the fire, nor does it sacrifice flavor.
The Not-so-good: Nothing, a solid A.
Tequila Examiner Grade, Casa Noble Crystal (Blanco): Highest Recommendation (A)
Casa Noble Reposado Tasting Notes
The reposado looks like liquid gold. The smell of rich chocolate competes with the sweetness of baked agave, giving way to a subtle scent of creamy caramel. The smell is a little deceiving, as this still-lively tequila confronts the tongue with an earthy woodiness and herbal agave flavor that guides you toward the complimenting flavors from the barrels, which offers everything from oak, tropical fruit, cocoa, caramel, and just a hint of smoke. There is a nice, warm ending that’s reminiscent of the wonderful bouquet, with lingering flavors of agave, chocolate, and caramel. This tequila is wonderfully consistent and balanced, and an absolute pleasure to sip.
The Good: Wonderfully rich flavors from the barrel that are in harmony with the flavors of the tequila.
The Not-so-good: First sip can be a bit “woody” and confrontational.
Tequila Examiner Grade, Casa Noble Reposado: Highly Recommended (A-)
Casa Noble Añejo and Cocktail Mixing Notes
I recall from my tasting at the distillery that Casa Noble makes a superb añejo, however, the samples sent to me for the purposes of writing these tasting notes included two 50ml bottles of the reposado and no añejo, so there will be no waxing poetic about the añejo – on to the cocktails!
The Crystal makes a wonderful, fresh-tasting margarita with strong complimentary flavors from the tequila. Try any of the mouthwatering Casa Noble cocktail recipes that are over at the Mixoloseum (with daring ingredients like Chartreuse, bitters, and ginger) and expect the tequila to hold its own – about 1.5 to 2 ounces of Crystal in the average-sized cocktail is enough to accent the boldest of ingredients with the flavor of Casa Noble."
