Wine Enthusiast has been reviewing spirits since 1988. In that time, the publication's tasting panel has blind-tasted more than 25,000 products per year — wines, spirits, every category, every price point, every country of origin. In over 46 years of continuous operation, no spirit had ever received a perfect 100-point score.

On April 6, 2026, Cazcanes Tequila announced that Nuestras Raíces had become the first. Not the first tequila. Not the first agave spirit. The first spirit of any kind — the first whisky, the first cognac, the first rum, the first gin, the first anything — to receive Wine Enthusiast's perfect score in the publication's history.

The spirit that made history was produced in the remote village of La Estancita, Jalisco, by Don Humberto Alvarado — a third-generation master distiller working from a centuries-old family recipe, producing barely 1,000 liters monthly in 300-liter batches, each one individually tasted and approved before release. The 2026 annual production totals approximately 10,000 to 12,000 liters — roughly the volume that a medium-sized craft distillery produces in a single week. The 2025 inaugural release sold out in less than seven hours.

The Wine Enthusiast's tasting notes for the expression confirm what the 100-point score communicates: "lush and full-bodied with cooked agave, lemon, lime, sea salt, and subtle notes of ripe cantaloupe and green apple. Long and warming, lingering with hints of cooked agave and a distinct touch of minerality." Cazcanes calls it "Jugo de la Selva" — Jungle Juice. "Vibrant, vegetal, and intensely agave-forward, capturing the untamed character of agave in its purest state."

This is not a bourbon, a Scotch, or a cognac. This is a spirit from a village in Jalisco, made by a man who produces 1,000 liters a month, that received the only perfect score in the history of one of the world's most respected spirits publications.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Cazcanes Tequila was founded in 2017 — now the fastest-growing independent, additive-free tequila in the United States, built from the founding conviction that authenticity, craftsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to traditional production methods would produce something genuinely extraordinary. Nuestras Raíces — "Our Roots" — is the expression that most completely embodies that founding conviction: the annual limited release that Cazcanes produces to honor the tradition of agave distillation that existed long before modern certification systems, commercial production pressures, and the additives that have been quietly creeping into commercial tequila markets for decades.

Don Humberto Alvarado — third-generation master distiller of La Estancita, Jalisco — works from a centuries-old family recipe that his grandfather developed and that his family has maintained across three generations without compromise. He is a stickler for detail and for traditionalism. He forswears additives entirely. He insists on natural artesian spring water sourced from beneath the volcanic soil of the Jalisco highlands. He uses only organic Blue Weber agave selected at peak sugar development — the moment of fullest concentration and natural sweetness, after the agave has grown for the full 7 to 10 years that proper highland agave development requires.

The production protocol makes each liter of Nuestras Raíces precious by necessity: the agave is slow-cooked in a steel oven over direct flame — traditional cooking rather than autoclave efficiency. The juice is fermented openly in stainless steel tanks, allowing spontaneous wild yeast fermentation from the local La Estancita microbiological environment rather than commercial yeast additions. Each 300-liter batch ferments on its own timeline, develops its own character, and is then double-distilled in a stainless pot still with a copper coil — the copper contact removing sulfur compounds while preserving the agave's full spectrum of aromatic compounds. Single filtration only — enough to clarify without stripping. Bottled at still strength — the natural proof of the distillate as it emerges from the still, without any water reduction.

The 2026 vintage is specifically distinguished from the 2025 inaugural release by the agricultural conditions: with more mature agave available in the fields than in prior years, Don Humberto and his team could afford to be ruthlessly selective, choosing only plants that expressed the depth, concentration, and natural sweetness that the destilado demands. The result is a curated annual blend of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 liters — "a snapshot of the year in tequila form," in Cazcanes's own characterization. Every release is similar in soul, yet distinct in character.

Critics Reviews

Wine Enthusiast — 100 Points The first perfect score in Wine Enthusiast's history — across 46+ years of publication and 25,000+ products blind-tasted annually. The first spirit of any kind — whisky, cognac, rum, gin, tequila, or any other category — to receive this recognition.

Wine Enthusiast official tasting notes (blind): "Lush and full-bodied with cooked agave, lemon, lime, sea salt, and subtle notes of ripe cantaloupe and green apple. Finish: Long and warming, lingering with hints of cooked agave and a distinct touch of minerality."

Remedy Liquor confirmed 2026 nose: "Bright and herbaceous, with notes of fresh lime, salinity, grilled vegetables, and cut grass, layered with grapefruit, mint, roasted pepper, and lightly toasted cumin seed."

Hi Proof confirmed 2026 tasting notes: Nose: "Fresh lime zest, mint, grilled vegetables, cut grass, roasted pepper." Palate: "Cooked agave sweetness, citrus oils, sea salt, green apple, melon."

Mira Loma Market confirmed 2026 tasting notes: Nose: "Bright aromas of cooked agave, lime zest, fresh herbs, roasted peppers, and earthy minerality." Palate: "Rich and full-bodied with layers of roasted agave, citrus peel, jalapeño, sea salt, green apple, and subtle anise." Finish: "Long, warming, and complex with lingering pepper, vegetal sweetness, and volcanic minerality."

GotoLiquorStore confirmed tasting note: "Crisp, vegetal notes of cooked agave, fresh citrus, white pepper, and grassy minerals, supported by layers of lime."

Cazcanes official characterization: "Jugo de la Selva — Jungle Juice. Vibrant, vegetal, and intensely agave-forward, capturing the untamed character of agave in its purest state."

Concierge at Total Wine: "This is special, folks. Snatch up a bottle while you can — this offer's sure to sell out quickly."

Tasting Profile

Nose Crystal clear with brilliant luminosity — still-strength agave spirit at natural distillation proof, single filtration preserving every natural oil and aromatic compound. The nose opens with the most immediately distinctive and the most specifically agave-forward aromatic quality available in any tequila or agave spirit in the Blackwell's section: cooked agave arrives first with the warm, slightly smoky, specifically volcanic-soil-adjacent quality that traditional steel oven slow-cooking with direct flame produces most completely. Fresh lime zest follows with vivid brightness — the most immediately refreshing secondary note. Fresh herbs and grilled vegetables add the most specifically vegetal and the most authentically agave-field-adjacent aromatic dimension — wild, slightly green, and entirely characteristic of what intensely agave-forward spirit from a village distillery in La Estancita actually smells like. Cut grass adds the most freshly wild and the most specifically traditional-production secondary note. Roasted pepper adds the most exotic and the most specifically Jalisco-volcanic-soil tertiary quality. Grapefruit and mint add the most vivid citrus-floral dimension. Lightly toasted cumin seed adds the most specifically and the most memorably unusual secondary aromatic note across the 2026 release. Earthy minerality from the artesian spring water and the volcanic soil threads through as the most enduringly Jalisco-terroir-specific quality.

Palate Lush, full-bodied, and intensely agave-forward — the Wine Enthusiast's most specifically perfect-score-deserving characterization confirmed from the first sip. Cooked agave sweetness arrives at entry with the concentrated, warm, specifically traditional-cooking-method quality that slow direct-flame cooking produces in contrast to autoclave efficiency — more complex, more specifically agave-character-expressive, and more genuinely traditional. Citrus oils and lime add vivid brightness. Sea salt adds the most specifically and the most memorably unusual primary palate quality for any agave spirit — the salinity of the artesian spring water and the volcanic mineral character of the La Estancita terroir most directly expressed at the palate level. Green apple adds the most unexpectedly fresh and the most specifically cool-fermentation secondary fruit note. Cantaloupe and melon add the warmest and the most ripe-tropical secondary sweetness — the 2026 vintage's peak-maturity agave selection's most specifically generous contribution. Jalapeño adds the most specifically Jalisco-pepper-culture secondary spice. Subtle anise adds the most delicate herbal secondary dimension. White pepper adds structural warmth. The still-strength concentration is present and genuine — providing the full botanical intensity of the agave at natural proof, every compound preserved exactly as the copper coil distillation produced them.

Finish Long, warming, and complex. Lingering pepper and vegetal sweetness carry the close most persistently in the Mira Loma Market characterization's most accurate finish description. Volcanic minerality provides the most enduringly and the most specifically La Estancita-terroir-expressing quality at the very close — cool, slightly stony, and confirming that what distinguishes this spirit from commercial production is not just the technique but the specific place whose geology, water, and wild yeast microbiome produce something genuinely impossible to replicate anywhere else. Cooked agave persists. The finish is long and genuinely extraordinary — the Wine Enthusiast's first-ever perfect score confirmed in the most sustained and the most complex agave spirit finish available in any expression at any price in the Blackwell's section.

Quick Overview

Category	Details
Style	Destilado de Agave / Agave Spirit — Still Strength Blanco
Vintage	2026 Edition
ABV / Proof	~48.1% ABV / ~96 Proof (still strength — natural distillation proof)
Distillery	La Estancita, Jalisco, Mexico
Master Distiller	Don Humberto Alvarado — third generation
Family Recipe	Centuries-old — grandfather's original formulation
Founded	Cazcanes Tequila — 2017
Recognition	Fastest-growing independent additive-free tequila in the US
Agave	100% Blue Weber — organic — selected at peak sugar development
Cooking	Steel oven, direct flame — slow traditional method
Water	Natural artesian spring water
Fermentation	Open tank — wild spontaneous yeast — no commercial yeast additions
Distillation	Double-distilled — stainless pot still with copper coil
Filtration	Single filtration only — preserves full character
Additives	None — confirmed additive-free
Certifications	Organic · Gluten-free · Kosher · Additive-free
Bottling	Still strength — no water reduction
Batch Size	300 liters per batch — individually tasted and approved
Monthly Production	Barely 1,000 liters
2026 Total Production	~10,000–12,000 liters
2025 Sellout	Less than 7 hours on cazcanes.com
Annual Release	Summer annual — limited quantities each year
Critics	Wine Enthusiast 100 Points — first-ever perfect spirit score in 46+ year history
Nickname	"Jugo de la Selva" — Jungle Juice
Style / Identity	Vibrant, vegetal, intensely agave-forward — the untamed character of agave in purest form
Aromas & Flavors	Cooked agave, lime zest, sea salt, green apple, cantaloupe, melon, grilled vegetables, cut grass, roasted pepper, mint, grapefruit, cumin, jalapeño, anise, white pepper, volcanic minerality
Water Recommended	A few drops — opens agave sweetness and mineral depth
Bottle Size	750ml

Serving & Occasion

Neat in a copita or small tasting glass — the only appropriate serve for the first spirit in the history of Wine Enthusiast to receive a perfect score. Allow 10 minutes of rest for the cooked agave, lime zest, and volcanic minerality to open progressively. A few drops of water — not ice, not mixer — opens the cantaloupe and green apple sweetness while softening the still-strength intensity into something particularly harmonious. The Barrel Tap's recommendation confirmed: "best experienced neat first before using in cocktails, because of its limited annual release status and collector appeal."

13th June 2025 New Releases