CiCLOS Tequila Blanco 108 Proof 750ml

Two people met outside Acadia National Park twenty-five years ago while working in restaurants. What followed was nearly four decades of combined hospitality experience — managing, bartending, serving — across Maine, Florida, St. John in the US Virgin Islands, and North Carolina. Along the way they developed a mutual love for fine tequila. When they finally set out to create a brand of their own, they had one specific requirement: it had to be made exactly the way they believed tequila should be made. Organic agave. Traditional methods. High proof. No shortcuts.

That requirement led them to Tequilera Tap — NOM 1614 — in Amatitán, Jalisco. Amatitán is one of the most historically significant towns in Mexican tequila production, situated in the Jalisco Valley approximately 35 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara at the foot of the Tequila Volcano. The Valley's volcanic soils, lower altitude, and warmer growing conditions produce Blue Weber agave of a characteristically earthier, more herbaceous, and more minerally grounded profile than the sweeter, more fruit-forward Highland expressions — and it is precisely that Lowlands terroir character that gives CiCLOS Blanco its most distinctive and most specifically regional quality. Tequilera Tap is a boutique facility equipped with a traditional brick horno — the masonry oven that slow-cooks the piñas in the most historically authentic way possible — and a tahona for traditional stone-wheel agave crushing. Master Distiller Julio Cova oversees production with the precision and respect for traditional craft that the founders specifically sought.

The name CiCLOS — Spanish for cycles — honors the seasonal rhythms of agave growth, the natural volcanic cycles of Amatitán's landscape, and the founders' belief in savoring authentic moments. At 54% ABV / 108 proof — still strength, no water added — it is the complete expression of what that landscape, those methods, and that philosophy produce. Taste the seasons. Honor the craft.

Origins & Craftsmanship

CiCLOS was founded in Bentonville, Arkansas by Jason and his co-founder — two hospitality veterans with nearly 40 years of combined industry experience who set out to produce a still-strength tequila that reflects their conviction that great tequila should be clean, smooth, and made from organic agave using traditional methods. The brand is imported and distributed by Trinchero Family Estates — the Napa Valley family behind Sutter Home and a wide portfolio of premium beverage brands — providing the national distribution infrastructure that allows a boutique-quality expression to reach serious spirits buyers across the country.

Tequilera Tap — NOM 1614 — is located in Amatitán in the Jalisco Valley, the heartland of tequila's most historically rooted production tradition. Amatitán sits in the shadow of the Tequila Volcano, on volcanic soils that have nurtured Blue Weber agave for centuries. The distillery is equipped with a traditional brick horno and a tahona — a volcanic stone wheel used to crush the slow-cooked agave piñas — giving Master Distiller Julio Cova the traditional production toolkit that the most respected artisanal tequila producers consider essential for achieving the specific flavor profile that industrial-scale methods cannot replicate.

The organic agave used for CiCLOS Blanco is grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides — a farming commitment requiring more time and manual labor than conventional cultivation but producing piñas of greater natural complexity. After harvest the piñas are slow-cooked in the brick horno — the traditional masonry oven method that develops the full, rounded sweetness of cooked agave without the harsh, bitter notes of autoclave pressure cooking. Following extraction, natural fermentation allows the agave's wild yeasts and the distillery's own microbiological environment to develop aromatic complexity before copper pot still distillation produces the finished blanco. Bottled at 54% ABV / 108 proof — no water added after distillation — still strength, exactly as it came off the still.

Critics Reviews

No widely published numeric scores are available for CiCLOS Blanco at this time given the brand's recent launch.

Julio Cova, Master Distiller — official tasting notes: Color: "White, clean crystalline, silver hue, transparent." Nose: "Cooked agave, citric, black pepper, slightly fruity, green apple, herbal notes." Palate: "Cooked agave, nice citric, black pepper, cinnamon, slightly fruity with hints of green apple, silky mouthfeel." Body and Balance: "Smoothness in glass, great body, soft and pleasant, exact balance in after taste."

Tasting Profile

Nose Brilliant crystal clear with a silver luminosity — the still-strength bottling and the organic agave's natural purity immediately visible. The Amatitán Valley terroir's character announces itself from the first approach: cooked agave leads with the warm, rounded sweetness of brick horno-cooked Lowland piñas — earthier and more grounded than Highland expressions, with a slightly volcanic mineral quality that the Tequila Volcano's soils contribute directly. Citrus arrives alongside — lemon and grapefruit with a clean brightness that counterbalances the cooked agave's warmth. Black pepper adds the Jalisco Valley's most characteristic aromatic signature — sharp, clean, and entirely characteristic of well-distilled Lowland Blue Weber agave at full proof. Slightly fruity notes follow — green apple and a barely detectable freshness. Herbal notes add the vegetal, slightly grassy dimension that unaged Lowland blanco expresses most vividly at still strength.

Palate Silky — the word Master Distiller Julio Cova specifically uses, and that is genuinely confirmed at the first sip despite the 108-proof concentration. Cooked agave arrives first with genuine warmth and depth before citrus brightens the mid-palate. Black pepper builds through the center — firm, warm, and entirely characteristic of the Amatitán terroir. Cinnamon adds baking spice warmth alongside the citrus and cooked agave. Green apple and herbal freshness add the Lowland agave's most vivid varietal contribution. The silky mouthfeel is the tahona and copper pot still distillation's most directly physical contribution — a smooth, coating texture that preserves the agave's natural oils and congeners intact. Great body and pleasant softness confirmed.

Finish Long, warm, and exactly balanced — the official characterization delivered in a finish where cooked agave sweetness, black pepper, and cinnamon cycle together before resolving into a clean, warm, volcanic-mineral close. The Amatitán terroir's most enduring contribution is the slightly earthy, grounded quality that carries through the very end — the Tequila Volcano's soils speaking through the glass.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Neat in a quality tequila glass at room temperature — the founders' own recommendation of "a clean, smooth, still-strength spirit, perfect for sipping" is the most accurate serving guidance. Allow 5 to 10 minutes of air for the cooked agave, citrus, and volcanic mineral aromatics to fully open. A few drops of still water reveals additional green apple and herbal complexity while the black pepper and cinnamon integrate into something particularly harmonious. Outstanding as a cocktail base in any format where the agave character needs to carry through dilution.

Cocktail Suggestions

CiCLOS Margarita 1.5 oz CiCLOS Blanco · 1 oz fresh lime juice · ¾ oz Cointreau · agave syrup to taste · salted rim. Shaken over ice, served in a rocks glass. The still-strength Lowland agave character carries through lime and orange liqueur with complete presence.

CiCLOS Paloma 1.5 oz CiCLOS Blanco · grapefruit soda · squeeze of fresh lime · pinch of salt. Built over ice in a highball. The black pepper and citrus of the Blanco align naturally with grapefruit — the volcanic mineral note adding a distinctive earthy depth.

Amatitán Old Fashioned 1.5 oz CiCLOS Blanco · 1 tsp agave nectar · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over a large ice rock. The cooked agave sweetness and volcanic terroir character add a compelling Lowland dimension to the Old Fashioned format.