Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur (750ml)

SKU #1153769 91 points Wine Enthusiast

Though it's made with ancho chiles, this liqueur is modest on the spice scale. Caramel-y brown in the glass, look for a lightly herbaceous aroma similar to root beer and rounded flavors that mix caramel and cocoa with raisin and cinnamon heat, with a faint smokiness on the finish. Particularly harmonious mixed in cocktails with brown spirits like whiskey. (KN) (2/2016)

Wine & Spirits

Made in the Barrio del Artista in Puebla, Mexico, since 1927, Ancho Reyes is a spicy ancho chile–based liqueur that actually tastes like real peppers. The peppers set fi re to your mouth, but the heat gets tamed by the spirit’s brown-sugar sweetness and cinnamon, orange and vanilla notes. (LB) (10/2014)

K&L Notes

This magnificent Ancho Chili liqueur has been produced in Mexico since 1927. From the city of Puebla, the Reyes family became famous in the region for making the finest liqueur using the traditional chili of the area. It all begins with the cultivation of the local poblano peppers, which are dried in the hot sun. When the process is done, the smoky and spicy Ancho Chili is born. This legendary chili is hand split and cleaned before being soaked in neutral cane spirit for more than six months. The final stages are the blending of the final ingredients to create what is locally known as menjurje. This mixture is rested for many months before being bottled. While one expects the typical heat and power of other chili liqueurs/spirits, the Ancho Reyes has a subtly that is unheard of in this category. Incredibly complex and balanced, the heat is a flavorful one, not a painful one. Soft and pleasurable enough to sip on its own, this magnificent liqueur will no doubt become a staple in any serious bar. The perfect adulterant for agave and cane-based spirits, but with enough going on to stand up as a base spirit. A must have...