Aqara Agave de Los Andes Reposado (75cl, 40%)

This is a reposado-style agave spirit from Caraz in the Ancash region of Peru, bottled at 40% vol in a 75cl bottle. It is a Peruvian agave distillate, not a tequila or mezcal. Wild agaves, Agave americana expansa gentry and Agave cordillerensis, are hand-harvested at around ten years old. They are steam-cooked for seven hours, fermented for three days and double-distilled in copper pot stills, then rested for four months in new American oak. The nose shows light caramel, fresh oak and vanilla over butterscotch and almond. The palate is round, with toffee, coffee, stone fruit and smoky, toasted notes. The finish is clean and warming.