Codigo 1530 Rosa Blanco Tequila 750ml

The Rosa exists because of a specific and genuinely brilliant question: what happens when you rest the Código 1530 Blanco in uncharred Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels for exactly one month? Not long enough to produce a Reposado's amber color and oak-forward character. Not long enough to fundamentally transform the agave's identity. Long enough — precisely long enough — to deposit the residual Cabernet Sauvignon compounds from the barrel's pores into the tequila in the most delicate and most specifically beautiful way possible.

The answer is the Rosa. A blanco tequila in every meaningful technical sense — the same Los Bajos Lowland Blue Weber agave, the same Perez Ocampo five-generation production, the same organic yeast and volcanic-filtered water, the same additive-free and Kosher certifications that make the Código Blanco one of the most transparent and most honest tequilas in production. But colored and flavored by one month in uncharred French White Oak barrels that previously held Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — the red wine's compounds, deposited in the wood fiber during barrel seasoning, releasing their aromatic and flavor contribution into the resting tequila without the charred layer's more aggressive carbon filtration influencing the interaction.

The result is pink. Genuinely, naturally, beautifully pink — not from added coloring but from the Cabernet barrel's residual anthocyanins migrating into the clear blanco distillate over 30 days of gentle contact. And the flavor: "delicate red wine and floral notes that complement the natural bright agave flavor — bright, natural agave sweetness meets deep fruit notes to produce an elegant, flavorful tequila." Federico "Fede" Perez Ocampo — the family's current production voice — describes it with justified pride: "I think people who don't like Blanco tequila are going to really appreciate this expression. The floral notes from the agave and the grapes — you can taste them, you can smell them — and it complements the entire process. We kind of created this category, and we're very proud of it."

He is right on both counts. The category is new. And the Código Rosa created it.

Origins & Craftsmanship

The Rosa begins with exactly the same production foundation as the Blanco: the Perez Ocampo family's fifth-generation production at Varo Destileria (NOM 1616) in Amatitán, Jalisco, using hand-selected fully mature Blue Weber Lowlands agave whose Brix level meets Código's quality standards, volcanic-filtered freshwater and rainwater from the Los Bajos region, and organic local yeast — nothing else. The same three ingredients. The same additive-free philosophy. The same Kosher certification.

The distinguishing step is the barrel: after distillation, the clear blanco tequila enters uncharred French White Oak barrels that previously held Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine. The uncharred specification is critical and deliberate — charred barrels filter through their activated carbon layer, removing color compounds and many of the more delicate flavor compounds that the uncharred contact deposits more directly and more completely. By using uncharred French White Oak, Código allows the Cabernet's residual tannins, anthocyanins, and aromatic compounds to migrate directly into the resting tequila without the charred layer's interference — producing the pink color, the red wine and floral aromatic overlay, and the specific Cabernet-derived fruit notes that make the Rosa so immediately visually and aromatically distinctive.

One month of resting — no more, no less — is the carefully calibrated contact period. Federico Perez Ocampo describes the production philosophy across the range: the Rosa uses the barrel first, then the emptied Rosa barrels are charred and used for the Reposado — a sequential barrel program that begins with the most delicate, uncharred contact for the Rosa and progresses to the charred barrel character for the longer-rested expressions. The Rosa is the first step in a barrel program that honors every stage of the agave spirit's development with a specific and intentional wood relationship.

At 26% ABV / 52 proof — lower than the standard 40% — the Rosa is calibrated for the broadest possible audience: light enough for anyone approaching tequila for the first time, complex enough for the educated agave enthusiast who recognizes what the uncharred Cabernet barrel contact actually achieves.

Critics Reviews

SIP Awards 2021 — Gold Medal · International Consumer Tasting

SIP Awards / World Spirit Competition 2021 — Innovation Award Recognizing the Rosa as a genuinely new category creation — the first commercially successful pink blanco tequila finished in uncharred wine barrels.

Código 1530 official tasting notes: "Cabernet barrels imbue Rosa with delicate red wine and floral notes that complement the natural bright agave flavor. Bright, natural agave sweetness meets deep fruit notes to produce an elegant, flavorful tequila."

Federico "Fede" Perez Ocampo: "I think people who don't like Blanco tequila are going to really appreciate this expression because it is something unique. The floral notes from the agave and the grapes — you can taste them, you can smell them — and it complements the entire process we went through with the agave. We kind of created this category, and we're very proud of it."

Hawaii Beverage Guide: "Bright, natural agave sweetness meets deep fruit notes to produce an elegant, flavorful tequila."

Tasting Profile

Nose Pale pink with rose-gold luminosity — the uncharred Napa Valley Cabernet barrel's most immediately visible contribution in a color of natural, delicate beauty that communicates the wine barrel contact before a word of description is read. The nose opens with the specific combination that makes the Rosa genuinely unlike any other tequila: the Código Blanco's characteristic floral and bright agave aromatics — the Los Bajos Lowland terroir's herbaceous, mineral, and citrus-driven character — now overlaid with the delicate red wine and floral notes that one month in an uncharred Cabernet barrel deposits. Rose petal and hibiscus add the most immediately perfumed and most wine-derived floral lift. Ripe agave sweetness follows — the fully mature Brix-selected piñas' natural quality present beneath the barrel's gentler floral contribution. Strawberry and red berry add the Cabernet's most specific fruit compound contribution — fresh, slightly vinous, and adding a dimension entirely absent from the Blanco. Citrus brightness from the Lowland agave carries through. Vanilla and floral aromas complete the aromatic picture in the most elegant and most balanced arrangement.

Palate Light, bright, and elegant — the 26% ABV proof point's most defining palate quality in a mouthfeel of genuine delicacy and accessibility. The entry is immediately sweet and fruit-forward: bright, natural agave sweetness arriving with the freshness and vitality that the uncharred barrel preserves by not filtering through activated carbon. Red berry and strawberry add the Cabernet's fruit dimension — present, fresh, and vinous rather than jammy or heavy. The agave's floral and herbaceous character carries through from the nose into the palate — the Lowland terroir's grassy, citrus-adjacent quality providing the structural backbone beneath the red wine fruitiness. Deep fruit notes from the Cabernet barrel add complexity and depth at the mid-palate — the one month of uncharred contact having deposited just enough red wine character to transform the blanco's purely agave-driven profile into something genuinely multi-layered. The 26% ABV produces a palate that is simultaneously accessible and genuinely flavorful — light enough for the tequila newcomer, complex enough for the agave enthusiast.

Finish Clean, slightly sweet, and gently fruited. The bright agave sweetness and red berry carry the close together before resolving into a clean, refreshing, light finish that immediately invites the next sip. A whisper of rose petal and vanilla persists faintly. The finish is light and brief by the standard of higher-proof expressions — appropriate and entirely honest for a 26% ABV spirit whose primary purpose is accessibility and immediate enjoyment.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Serve chilled at 8–10°C in a wine glass, coupe, or quality tequila glass — the pink color and floral aromatics are most vivid cold, and the elegant, delicate character of the uncharred Cabernet contact is most appreciated in the broader bowl of a wine or coupe glass. On the rocks produces the most visually beautiful serve — the natural pink glowing through ice in the most immediately distinctive and most Instagram-worthy presentation available in the tequila category. Outstanding for summer entertaining, brunch occasions, rosé wine enthusiasts curious about tequila, and any occasion where the most beautiful bottle on the table should also be the most approachable and most broadly accessible spirit pour.

Cocktail Suggestions

Rosa Spritz (the brand's signature serve) 2 oz Código 1530 Rosa · Prosecco or sparkling water to top · fresh strawberry garnish. Built over ice in a wine glass. The delicate red wine and floral notes bridge the sparkling wine's effervescence in a cocktail of unusual elegance and visual beauty — the pink color from the Cabernet barrel making this the most visually stunning sparkling cocktail available from any tequila in any category.

Rosa Paloma 2 oz Código 1530 Rosa · grapefruit soda · squeeze of fresh lime · pinch of salt. Built over ice in a highball. The strawberry and floral Cabernet notes add a dimension to the Paloma format that standard blanco tequila cannot deliver — a pink Paloma of genuine complexity and immediate visual appeal.

Rosa Margarita 2 oz Código 1530 Rosa · 1 oz fresh lime juice · ¾ oz Cointreau · splash of agave syrup. Shaken over ice, served up or on the rocks. The bright agave sweetness and red berry notes carry through fresh citrus in a Margarita that is simultaneously more floral, more fruit-forward, and more visually dramatic than the standard blanco version.

Rosa on the Rocks 2 oz Código 1530 Rosa over a large clear ice cube in a rocks glass · expressed orange peel. The simplest and the most beautiful serve — the natural pink glowing through the ice, the orange peel amplifying the citrus brightness, the Cabernet florals opening with the slight dilution. The serve the brand itself recommends first.