Don Diego Santa Anejo Tequila
Don Diego Santa Anejo Tequila is an 80 proof (40% ABV), 750mL añejo from Destilería Río de Plata in Guadalajara, Jalisco (NOM 1124) — matured a minimum of 12 months in small white-oak barrels and blended with older tequilas for a final blend that averages around 18 months. Made from 100% blue agave in small batches, it scored 94 with the Beverage Testing Institute and took gold at the 2010 Tasting Panel competition. Vanilla, soft oak, tobacco, and caramel — this is the top of the Don Diego Santa line. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Aging: minimum 12 months in small white-oak barrels; final blend averages ~18 months
- Distillery: Destilería Río de Plata (Tequilas del Señor, S.A. de C.V.), Guadalajara, Jalisco — NOM 1124
- Agave: 100% blue agave; small-batch
- Awards: Beverage Testing Institute 94; Gold, 2010 Tasting Panel competition
The Blend-Forward Añejo
Don Diego Santa's añejo is built like the classic Mexican-style añejos: not a single barrel vintage but a blend, with a 12-month floor and older stocks lifting the average to around 18 months, per the brand's current official copy (quoted via letsdrinkit.com; barandrestaurant independently describes 12-to-18-month maturation in small white-oak barrels). A 2010 Tasting Panel piece described an 18-month-minimum reserve añejo — superseded by the current 12-minimum/18-average formulation. Same Guadalajara distillery (NOM 1124) and master distiller as the Blanco and Reposado; same additive-free-unknown caveat.
Tasting Notes
Official brand notes (via letsdrinkit) describe vanilla, soft oak, fresh tobacco, and apples on the nose, and a mouth-filling palate of vanilla, tobacco, and oak. Barandrestaurant finds "a wafting bouquet of cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla and toasted oak" with "caramel, almonds, honey and slightly spicy flavors." Total Wine keeps it to two words: "Light Vanilla Oak." The through-line is clear: this is a vanilla-and-tobacco añejo, soft rather than sharp.
How to Enjoy
Sip it neat in a snifter or over one large cube — an añejo with a BTI 94 earns the slow treatment. It also anchors an añejo tequila old fashioned. Compare it against the Blanco and Reposado from the Don Diego Santa range to taste what 12+ months of Guadalajara oak adds.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Don Diego Santa Anejo aged? A minimum of 12 months in small white-oak barrels, blended with older tequilas for an average of about 18 months.
What barrel is Don Diego Santa Anejo aged in? Small white-oak barrels.
Is Don Diego Santa Anejo a blend? Yes — it is a blend of añejos built to a 12-month minimum.
Add Don Diego Santa Anejo to your next Del Mesa Liquor order — San Diego's online shelf for a BTI 94 añejo.