Maestro Dobel is going all in with a trio of new extra añejo expressions, each of which is finished in a different type of barrel

If you’re a whiskey fan, you’ve probably tried more than a few cask-finished expressions by now, meaning whiskeys that have been given a secondary maturation in barrels previously used to age sherry, rum, wine, or some other spirit. This practice is not quite as common in the tequila world, but Maestro Dobel is going all in with a trio of new extra añejo expressions, each of which is finished in a different type of barrel.

Maestro Dobel is owned by the Beckmann family, which also controls the world-dominating tequila brand Jose Cuervo. Founded in 2008, Dobel is credited with introducing the world to the first cristalino tequila when it launched its Diamante expression a year later. In addition to a portfolio of other aged tequilas, Maestro Dobel launched the high-end Dobel 50 Anniversary Series in 2022 with the release of Dobel 50 1967, a sherry cask-finished tequila which was meant to celebrate founder Juan Domingo Beckmann’s birthday.

There are some other cask-finished tequilas, such as the port cask-finished El Mayor Extra Anejo and Don Julio’s Double Cask finished in Lagavulin barrels, but it’s more common to find tequila fully matured in different types of barrels. This new trio of extra añejo tequilas (meaning they were aged for more than three years), called 1968, 1969, and 1970, each mark the first time that the brand has used a specific cask finish. Each expression spent more than seven years in oak barrels before that secondary maturation.

Maestro Dobel 1968 was first matured in American oak and then finished in barrels used to age Armagnac, a type of French brandy. Tasting notes describe a sweet but slightly bitter palate with notes of honey and dried fruit. 1969 was initially aged in American and French oak and then finished in Sauternes barrels from Bordeaux, a kind of sweet wine. This tequila is said to have notes of fruit on the nose, followed by bread, strudel, and apple pie on the palate. Lastly, 1970 was first matured in French oak barrels and then finished in Amarone casks, a red wine from the Veneto region of Italy. Dried fruit and toasted nuts start off on the nose, followed by cinnamon and peach. Each tequila is bottled at 80 proof.

The Dobel 50 Anniversary Series launches this week, firmly landing in the luxury tequila category with a price tag of US$950 per bottle. The bottles are being released in limited numbers, so they might be hard to find in your local liquor store at the moment, but all three expressions are available now from ReserveBar.

This story was first published on Robb Report USA