Cenote Cristalino Añejo Tequila

$169.00
Overview

Cenote Cristalino Añejo starts life as the same Cenote Añejo, aged a full year in American oak barrels previously used for bourbon, then gets run through an activated carbon filter to strip out the colour. What's left is a spirit that looks like a blanco but drinks with all the depth of a proper añejo.

The filtration is doing a real job here, not just a cosmetic one. It pulls the amber colour and some of the heavier tannin out while leaving the vanilla, caramel and toasted oak character mostly intact. Crystal clear in the glass, with a smooth, rounded profile and a spicy, toasted finish that gives away the year it spent in wood.

Product Details

Production & Craftsmanship

Attribute Detail
Agave 100% Blue Weber agave, matured 6 to 7 years
Cooking High pressure autoclave
Extraction Roller mill
Fermentation Stainless steel tanks, volcanic well water
Distillation Double distilled
Still Type Copper and stainless steel pot stills
Ageing 1 year minimum in American oak barrels, previously used for bourbon
Filtration Activated carbon filtration after ageing, to remove colour

The carbon filtration is what makes a cristalino a cristalino. Done badly, it strips the character out along with the colour. Cenote keeps enough of the caramel, vanilla and toasted oak from the year in barrel that it still drinks like an añejo, just without the colour to show for it.

Product Details

Attribute Detail
Category Tequila
Style Cristalino Añejo
Country / Region Mexico, Tequila Valley, Jalisco
Distillery Fábrica de Tequilas Finos (NOM 1472)
Agave 100% Blue Weber
ABV 40%
Bottle Size 750ml
Tasting Notes

Nose: Caramel, vanilla and toasted oak, with a touch of milk chocolate and cinnamon.

Palate: Rich and smooth, with caramel and vanilla up front and a herbal, vegetal agave character underneath.

Finish: Long and clean, spicy and toasted, with a dry edge that lingers.

What sets this bottle apart
  • 100% Blue Weber agave matured 6 to 7 years before harvest
  • Añejo aged a full year in ex-bourbon American oak, then carbon filtered for crystal clarity
  • Looks like a blanco, drinks with the depth of a proper añejo
  • Volcanic well water, naturally filtered through volcanic soil and further purified on site
  • Caramel, vanilla and toasted oak without the heavier tannins
Distillery Information

Cenote is produced at Fábrica de Tequilas Finos (NOM 1472), right at the foot of the Tequila Volcano in Jalisco. Stoli Group built the brand as its own standalone project, with agave sourcing, water and the barrel programme all planned together rather than pieced together after the fact.

The cristalino step is the last piece of it. After the añejo has done its full year in barrel, it goes through a careful carbon filtration to remove colour without stripping out the character that took twelve months to build. Master Distiller Arturo Fuentes, who's got 35 plus years in the trade including time distilling Cognac in France, oversees the process from the water right through to the final filter.

Who this bottle is for
  • Añejo drinkers who want the depth without the colour and weight of a traditional dark añejo
  • Anyone curious about the cristalino category and what carbon filtration actually does to aged tequila
  • Gift buyers after a bottle that looks striking and drinks impressively
  • Someone who wants to pour a clear tequila that surprises people expecting a blanco
How to enjoy

  • Best neat or over a single large cube: the añejo character opens up gradually
  • Works well in a Cristalino Margarita or Tequila Old Fashioned where the clarity is part of the presentation
  • A good one to pour for guests who think they know what to expect from a clear tequila

Why we curate it

Cenote Cristalino Añejo is the most interesting bottle in the Cenote range. A full year in ex-bourbon American oak builds real caramel, vanilla and toasted oak character, then carbon filtration strips the colour without stripping the depth. Crystal clear in the glass, but it drinks like a proper añejo. A genuinely different tequila that's easy to explain and impressive to pour.