Código 1530 Rosa Blanco Tequila (40%)

Tequila categories have been expanding of late. I mean, not like IPA – nothing is like IPA! – but significantly for a spirit that used to be defined as 100% agave and mixto, with the former separated further in to the then-esoteric but now-familiar blanco, reposado, and añejo sub-classifications.

Over the last while, we have seen the emergence of extra-añejo, denoting a minimum of three years in the barrel, cristalino for añejos and añejo blends that have been filtered to remove their colour, and rosa, or wine barrel-finished tequila. In the last class, the Pernod Ricard-owned Código 1530 was one of the first rosa blancos to hit the market, as per the website Taste Tequila, and to be perfectly frank, was the first and is still one of the few I have tasted.

While it is hard to tell for certain, at least until the bottle is emptied and fully rinsed, there appears to be a pink hue to the glass bottom of the Código bottle, which amplifies the rose colour of the tequila. In the glass, its pinkish tint is much more subdued, closer to a soft gold with a flush of pink than the Provençal rosé colour of the spirit in the bottle.

There is no questioning the Napa Valley red wine barrel influence on the nose, however, with floral berry notes accenting rather than dominating the agave aromas and adding a hint of sweetness to the mix. Peppery cooked agave is still the primary aroma note, along with a whiff of anise, but the added complexity of the Cabernet barrel influence makes this a perfume one could spend a long time dissecting and enjoying.

On the palate, the story is pretty much the same, with a light note of sweet and floral strawberry hitting the palate first, briefly followed by more of a winey, caramelly oak character before the rich and earthy agave kick in mid-palate. Throughout, however, the barrel influence provides a very gentle sweetness that elevates the overall impact of the blanco and brings a certain lightness to the sipping experience. Even though this tequila has spent but a single month in its wine barrels, their impact is indisputable.

The finish is the one place where the wine barrel influence fades to near-irrelevance, but fortunately this is a solid enough blanco to stand on its own in that regard, with a lovely peppery finale that lingers like a very pleasant perfume on the palate.

While I know that it is fashionable in some circles to dump on big distillery-owned brands, especially those of the heaviest of hitters, Diageo and Pernod Ricard, the not even a decade-old Código 1530 has only been with the giant since 2022 and seems to be doing things the way it always has, including making a very solid and, yes, additive-free blanco. Perhaps Pernod allows the distillery to get its hands on higher quality wine barrels, but if that contributes to the enjoyment of this very nice rosa, I say bring it on!

87 ($85 - $92)