Casa Dragones Añejo

Casa Dragones is the house that convinced a generation of drinkers that tequila belonged on the same shelf as fine Cognac, and the Anejo Barrel Blend is the bottle that makes the argument most convincingly. It is 100% Blue Weber agave, extra-aged, and blended across two very different woods.

That blend is the whole trick. French oak brings fine spice and a certain restraint; American oak brings vanilla and a rounder sweetness. Held together, they produce something that reads as both new and long-settled — which is a difficult balance to strike and the reason this sits where it does in the range.

The colour is deep amber, close to mahogany in the right light. The nose gives pear and almond first, then nutmeg, toasted oak and dark caramel, with a perfumed edge that hints at rose and honeyed spice. On the palate it is genuinely velvety — an odd word for tequila and entirely the right one here — with roasted agave, vanilla and that almond note holding on through a long, warm finish.

Production is small-batch, so it stays scarce. At £190 you are paying for the wood, the time and the blending, and it drinks like it. This is a bottle for the end of a good evening, poured slowly, with the phone somewhere else.

How to Serve

Neat in a copita or a small tulip at room temperature. No ice, no mixers — this is a contemplative pour and cold shuts down the perfume. Give it five minutes in the glass before the first sip.

Where to Drink It

The Connaught Bar, which treats aged agave with the seriousness it deserves. Dukes Bar in St James's for quiet and a proper digestif. Artesian at The Langham if you want the room to match the bottle.

Food Pairings

Aged Manchego and a few Marcona almonds is the honest answer. At the table it holds up to roast pork with crackling, and it is very good after a mole.