Time to up the octane on your tequila game.

Tequila legends Carlos Camareña and Tomas Estes bring you the third annual release of Tequila Ocho Plata Puntas, a high-proof white tequila with an emphasis on maxing out agave flavors. This limited national release is only 3,500 cases, so score a bottle while you can. It likely won’t be available long at a reasonable $75 MSRP.

“Everything we do at OCHO, every decision, is made with intention and care. By separating only the end of the heads and the beginning of the heart of the distillation – we call this the neck and shoulders –, it gives us an incredibly aromatic and flavorful result, an even closer reflection of the agaves at the time of harvest.”

— Tequila OCHO Commercial Director Fany Camarena

What’s In The Bottle?

To create Plata Puntas, maestro tequilero Carlos Camareña begins with mature, single-field agave from the Jalisco highlands. This piña is slow-roasted in stone and brick ovens, open-air fermented, and distilled in copper pots. The term “puntas” means distillers cut, a reference to the unique way Camareña cuts the heads, hearts, and tails in the distillation process. The tequila is blended and ultimately bottled additive-free at a robust 54% ABV.

How Does It Taste?

Company tasting notes promise an agave nose with dried fruits and salted chocolate. The palate follows with Cacao spiciness and butterscotch, capped by a long, creamy finish.

John McCarthy is a spirit, travel, and lifestyle journalist, managing editor, and author of The Modern Gentleman and Whiskey Rebels: The Dreamers, Visionaries & Badasses Who Are Revolutionizing American Whiskey. McCarthy is also editor of Barleycorn Drinks and Director of Judging of the John Barleycorn Awards.