Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata

Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata is double-distilled in copper stills from 100% blue agave, and bottled at 40% ABV.

Jose Cuervo Brief History

Jose Cuervo was in at the birth of the tequila industry. The first bottle of tequila commercially sold was their Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo, in 1795. The distillery was based in the town of Tequila, and as you can see from the name it was described back then as a mezcal wine from Tequila.

Tequila is a mezcal as it’s made from an agave plant. Mexicans soon discovered that the best mezcal of all was the mezcal made in tequila from the blue agave plant, so they began asking specifically for mezcal from Tequila, and eventually simply tequila. If Jose Cuervo (yes, it was a real person, Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo) had set up business a few miles down the road in Amatitan then today we might have been drinking amatitan rather than tequila.

One in three bottles of tequila sold in the USA is made by Jose Cuervo. It’s the world’s biggest selling tequila brand.

Don’t miss my Jose Cuervo Orange Pineapple Margarita Review. It’s one of the most visited pages on Travel Distilled, only topped by my Patron Distillery Tour. I guess my visitors like tequila!

Tasting Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata

But will they like this Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata? Plata, in case you didn’t know, is just an alternative name for a silver or blanco tequila, bottled straight from the stills. It’s therefore a pure white spirit, and crystal clear, though it can be aged for up to two months in stainless steel stills, or in new oak barrels. That’s probably not long enough to make any material difference to the flavor.

On the nose this is a nice blend of smokiness, of agave earthiness, and some lime/lemon citrus freshness. There’s a dash of vanilla-like sweetness, but the most dominant aroma is the smokiness.

Tasting it, I wrote down ‘earthy, vegetal, agave, slightly sour, citrus, a bit of vanilla sweetness’. The finish was a little harsh, leaving a slight burn.

On the whole this is a pleasant but typical mid-range tequila, better than the cheaper stuff but certainly not a sophisticated tequila. But then it isn’t setting out to be that. It was only afterwards that I checked the price, as I never like to let the price affect my opinion, and when I saw that on average it retails for about $25 for a 750ml bottle, I thought: ‘That’s about right. A fair price.’

Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a bad tequila. Jose Cuervo didn’t get where they are by making bad tequilas. It isn’t one for sipping but if you use it for mixing in your margaritas, palomas, and other tequila cocktails, rather than choosing the cheapest tequila you can find, it will definitely improve them.

Zen Collins Tequila Cocktail

Jose Cuervo has created this tequila version of a Tom Collins cocktail specifically to highlight the taste of Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata.

Ingredients

2 oz. Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata
.75 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Simple Sugar
3 oz Soda Water
3-4 slices Cucumber
Cucumber wheel
Dill

Preparation

Muddle Cucumber slices in a shaker. Add all remaining ingredients except soda into the shaker. Shake with ice. Strain over ice into highball glass. Top up with soda water. Garnish with Cucumber wheel and dill.

If you want to see one made, watch this YouTube video and while you’re there you can also subscribe to the Jose Cuervo channel. I have!