Maestro Dobel Tequila is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its birth in 2023, but its heritage goes back far longer. Its founder, Juan Dobel, is an 11th generation tequila maker who brings his family’s legacy and history to Maestro Dobel, along with the desire to innovate and improve on age-old techniques and traditions. Introduced in the U.S. in 2009, Maestro Dobel made its mark with Diamante, the world’s first Cristalino expression, which forever changed the category. Since then, Dobel has also introduced Humito, the world’s first smoked tequila, and Pavito, the first pechuga tequila. The tequilas in the Maestro Dobel 50 Collection are a blend of time-honored tradition and modern-day vision, resulting in innovative tequilas that look forward while still honoring the craftsmanship of the past.
Dobel 50 Cristalino
Maestro Dobel introduced cristalino tequila to the world. With Dobel 50 Cristalino, made with extra añejo tequilas from the family reserves, they’ve taken the category to new heights. The journey begins with 100% Blue Weber agaves, grown and sourced from a single family-owned estate. Once the nectar has been extracted from the piñas, it’s distilled twice in copper pot stills, which gives it the smoothness for which Dobel tequilas are known. The tequila is aged for at least three years in both Eastern European and American oak barrels, then married together to create Maestro Dobel’s most unique cristalino to date. The aged tequila is filtered using a proprietary method that removes the color, giving it a stunning steel and platinum hue, while maintaining the aromas and flavor profile that come from barrel aging, with a smooth, silky mouthfeel.
Aromas of caramel, honey, cooked agave and dried fruit dominate, underpinned by hints of chocolate and tobacco, with herbal notes and sweet vanilla and nutmeg adding a light, fresh touch. On the palate, notes of fig, quince, date, pineapple and pumpkin emerge, along with hints of vanilla and baking spices like cinnamon and clove. The smooth, lush mouthfeel of the liquid gliding over the tongue gives way to a long and pleasant finish.
Dobel 50 1967 Extra Añejo
This unique extra añejo expression was created to honor the Maestro Dobel founder (who was born in 1967) and his ongoing legacy. Maestro Dobel’s finest tequilas are aged for a minimum of three years in American and French oak barrels before being finished in ex-sherry casks—the first ever sherry cask-finished Dobel tequila. The sherry influence imparts a distinctive and elegant flavor for sophisticated tequila palates.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the casks’ influence can be seen as well as tasted; the deep amber color, with flecks of copper and gold, reflects the tequila’s years spent in oak. The nose is also a testament to expert barrel aging: a complex mélange of floral, sweet and spicy aromas including vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. The agave nectar’s presence is felt with subtle notes of honey and caramel, while the char of the barrel imparts fragrances of walnuts, hazelnuts, chocolate and coffee. Those coffee and chocolate notes also grace the palate, giving way to hints of honey as well as dried fruit like figs and dates and oaky tannins. The sherry casks contribute to the dry, nutty finish known as rancio.
Dobel 50 Silver Oak Edition
Maestro Dobel’s innovations in the tequila realm are plentiful, and Dobel has continued to stretch the boundaries of the category, most recently with the Dobel 50 Silver Oak Edition. Created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Northern California’s Silver Oak winery, this extra añejo tequila is finished in Silver Oak cabernet sauvignon barrels. It looks as beautiful as it tastes, with its bright amber color accented by sparkles of gold and light orange, as well as hints of green along the glass from its three-plus years spent in wood. The nose is a seamless combination of aromas from the cooked agave—evident in the caramel and vanilla notes—and the wine barrels, which impart subtle but distinct notes of red fruits. It’s an intensely flavorful tequila on the palate, with bright citrus notes complementing elegant flavors of dried figs and dates. Roasted agave notes are the legacy of the tequila’s birth, while tannins from the oak come from the years of barrel aging. It’s bottled at 40% ABV, the perfect proof for letting the flavors harmonize without getting overwhelmed by the alcohol.
Informed by the legacy of 11 generations of tequila makers, Dobel has created a portfolio of tequilas that are groundbreaking, boundary-stretching . . . and delicious. To see them all and explore the Maestro Dobel 50 further, visit maestrodobel.com.
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