BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Produced by Wild Common but distilled by Cascahuin (NOM 1123)
- MASH BILL: 100% Blue Weber Agave
- AGE: 14 months in ex-Buffalo Trace bourbon casks
- YEAR: 2025
- PROOF: 94 (47% ABV)
- MSRP: $95
- BUY ONLINE: Wild Common Online Bottle Shop
STEVE’S NOTES
SHARE WITH: Every tequila drinker, especially those who like rich, cooked agave notes and high minerality. And, no, just because it’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels doesn’t mean bourbon drinkers will like it. More on that assumption below.
WORTH THE PRICE: Without a doubt. Pay good prices for premium tequila. Always.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottles. Yes, get two.
OVERALL: Where do I start to make this review a limited, but mostly complete understanding of Cascahuin Distillery in El Arenal, Jalisco, Mexico? Let’s try a short list:
- Sourcing in the tequila trade is at least 10 times more common than American whiskey, and Mexicans don’t think a thing of it. Cascahuin has created dozens of brands for other labels, and it does so masterfully. In addition to its ow eponymous and much-heralded line of tequilas, some other greats include Wild Common (founded six years ago by NatGeo photographer Andy Bardon, an American living in Wyoming), ArteNOM Selección de 1123, and Siembra Valles. El Negocio is a fine one as well (we reviewed its blanco here one and its joven here). Cascahuin’s master distiller, Salvador Rosales Trejo, who goes simply by Chava, is revered as one of the industry’s best.
- When I visited this OLD old school distillery two years ago, our guide pulled out a diagram of its process that was hand-sketched on an 8 x 11-inch piece of paper in a plastic sleeve. No video. No fancy equipment with computerized monitors. Just a drawing. When cooking agave, gaps around the metal doors of its ancient brick ovens that leak steam are plugged with agave fibers. The contents of its wild yeast propagation tank look more like something you’d remove from a septic tank. But it’s the source material for incredible flavor born of spontaneous fermentation started by airborne yeast. (Click here for some nitty-gritty details on this release.)
- Old school distillers like Chava use barrels for two purposes: the basic job of containing the liquid, and esterification (changes brought on when liquid evaporates from the barrel, oxygen replaces it and thus triggers myriad delicious rectifications to the spirit over time). When I was there in 2023, our tour guide pointed out at least one barrel that was in its third decade of use! Many tequila makers (some of the best, I think) aren’t looking for much wood influence, so while they’re happy that bourbon drinkers are catching on to good tequila via barrel-aged expressions, there’s no intentional effort to convert them using something that tastes vaguely like bourbon, as so many think. Such thinking is like saying port and sherry makers are trying to lead bourbon drinkers to like port and sherry wines via selling used casks to bourbon makers.
Oh, yeah, I’m supposed to review this amazing Wild Common añejo, so lets get started. If you never visit Cascahuin (pronounced kah-skah-ween), know that the nose on this Wild Common añejo is that distillery’s signature fragrance of slow-roasting agave. At first that sweetness is floral, herbal and a little lemony. Later sniffs reveal ripe cantaloupe–even fried donut. That’s all interwoven with with petrichor, that wonderful mineral aroma reflecting the terroir of where the agave was grown. The barrel contributes little other than light caramel to the aroma, but that’s pleasant enough.
Where the barrel’s influence is more prominent is in notes of black pepper, baking spice and pleasurable tannin. Lemon, caramel and roasted agave form a single wave that lays down rich flavor from front to back and throughout the mouth. At 94 proof, it tingles enticingly and refreshingly, much like a breath freshener. Ultimately, it all comes back to agave roasted slowly and cooled slowly for 72 hours: sweet, syrupy, juicy and complex. There’s nothing simple about this tequila at all; it’s a masterwork done by a true master distiller. Bottles like this Wild Common añejo are ones I’d prefer to keep all to myself, but I can’t (and never do; I always share) since my wife and friends know where they’re shelved.
BRAND NOTES
This category-defining Tequila Añejo (94 proof/47% ABV) showcases a luminous straw color with thick, viscous legs that promise an exceptional experience.
Matured over 12 months in ex-bourbon barrels, it reveals an aromatic bouquet of delicate florals, raw honey, fresh tarragon, and subtle cinnamon. The first sip delivers a masterful harmony of cooked agave, golden raisins, warm spices, candied ginger, and luscious dates that evolve beautifully as the spirit opens in the glass. This is artisanal tequila at its finest—a complex, sophisticated expression that will satisfy even the most discerning palates.
Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.
