G4 Tequila Añejo 70cl

G4 Tequila Añejo is 18 months in a barrel with careful wood maturation to make a delicately soft and delicious tequila añejo. Still lemon/lime oil aromas with vegetal and fruity agave but with a buttery aroma, a little cherry notes from the barrel, delicate pepper and cinnamon and a bit more vanilla with caramelised sugars, oak and a touch of cedar and barnyard. Felipe is really good at balancing flavours with a light touch. 

Felipe Camarena maestro tequilero at distillery El Pandillo, comes from a family of distillers. His brother Carlos produces Ocho and his grandfather founded Tapatio. Felipe's dedication to the craft is second to none, he is highly inventive having built his own equipment to his exacting standards, 'Igor' the shredder, 'Felipenstien' the crusher and his two-storey oven which steams his agaves evenly. He is dedicated to being as earth-friendly as possible, harvesting rainwater, planting for biodiversity and neutralizing his tequila vinaza before using it as fertilizer.

The water source for his tequilas is essential, he demonstrates through his brands, the unique flavour profiles each water source and its minerals give to tequila. G4 is produced using fifty per cent captured rainwater and fifty per cent spring water, unique in tequila production.

His 5 big brands are: G4, Pasote, ArteNOM 1579, Terralta, Volans

Tequila MatchMaker Rating: 88

Remy Newland: 'Bright grassy agave nose. Tropical fruits, citrus, clean. Like the style. Silky on the tongue with vanilla and pepper. Bold agave and toffee after tones with warming heat. A favourite.'

Grover Sanschagrin: 'Lightly aged añejo, with warm, buttery, cinnamon and peach aromas. Great flavour that isn't overly oaked. Thumbs up!'

Jay MacRaild: 'Easily one of the best Anejo’s on the market, it still has tons of agave present. The oak is very complimentary, in most tequilas it bulldozes away a lot of other flavours but the Camarena’s seem to have perfected this balance. Get a bottle for home.'

Cool Chile: this would make a great gift, it doesn't break the bank and it is of amazing quality

NOM: 1579 / El Pandillo Distillery

Aroma: cooked agave, vanilla, oak, caramel, fruit, butter, citrus, flowers

Palate: agave, oak, black pepper, vanilla, caramel, minerals, alcohol, cinnamon

Maestro Tequilero: Felipe Camarena and his sons, Alan and Luis

Interesting fact: although Felipe has 3 sources of water at his distillery: spring, rain and deep-well, G4 Tequila is made with a 50/50 mix of spring water and rainwater, producing a tequila that is clean and crisp with a touch of minerality.

Region: Jesús María, Jalisco, Los Altos

Age of agave when harvested: 8-10 years

Water source: 50/50 collected rainwater (for crisp pure taste) and spring water (adds a mineral taste)

Oven type: two-storey stone oven, designed to cook from both the top and the bottom for more even cooking, cooking for 22 hours

Extraction method: metal tahona, nicknamed Felipestein and Igor the shredder

Still type: copper-pot

Rested: 18 months in American oak barrels

ABV: 40%