How good is George Clooney’s tequila?

Say the word "tequila" to just about anyone over the age of 21 (actually, probably over the age of 16 these days, but never mind), and you’re likely to find an array of reactions: Disgust. Joy. Nostalgia. Horror. Everyone has that one story, that one experience, that one (too many) shot of tequila that lives on as legend in their minds. Either it’s the best drink you’ve ever had, or the worst. You either never want to even smell it again or you can't wait for your next one.

We're in the latter category, so naturally we were interested in the new Casamigos tequila, produced to the specifications of George Clooney and his friend Rande Gerber, which has been getting lots of buzz and rave reviews (we think those commercials starring Cindy Crawford — Mrs. Gerber — may have helped). According to the company press releases, Clooney and Gerber have often blind-tasted the Casamigos tequilas (there are two, a blanco and a reposado) against other brands, and the results suggest that theirs is "a truly special tequila."

So does the Clooney tequila live up to the hype? We conducted our own blind tasting of the Casamigos blanco against some of the biggest tequila names on the market: Patrón, Don Julio, Milagro, and Cuervo Tradicional (a dark horse in the competition, as everyone has memories of Cuervo). You can click ahead to see the results, in ascending order of our preference; then, find out what one tequila expert, Mat Resler from Empellon Cocina and Empellon Taqueria, thinks about Casamigos and our tested tequilas. You may be surprised.

1. Patrón

(Patrón)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Patrón won over our crowd of tasters, who noted its smoothness, distinct agave aroma, and complex flavor. It "maintains a classic tequila flavor," said one taster (who, in retrospect, may have had too much tequila). Some were fairly neutral on the tequila, but the majority ranked it as no. 1 on the lineup.

2. Casamigos

(Jane Bruce/The Daily Meal)

It looks like Clooney wasn’t fooling us — the majority of our tasters really liked how sweet the Casamigos blanco tequila was. Noted for its vanilla aroma and taste, plus its smoothness going down, the Casamigos tequila was a crowd-pleaser. One person noted that it was "definitely more unique" than the other tequilas tested. However, not everyone was won over.

3. Jose Cuervo Tradicional

(Jane Bruce/The Daily Meal)

The dark horse in the competition was a surprise to a lot of our tasters. Some noted that it tasted "different" from the others, and that it had more of a plant-like smell and bite to it than the other tequilas; one person wrote that it was a "quintessentially good, but not amazing, tequila."

See more taste tested tequilas at The Daily Meal

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