The Ultra Exclusive Maestro Dobel 50 Limited Release Extra Anejo

Today I have a VERY special update for you on something extremely rare that I was able to get my  hands on in the Cancun Airport Duty Free Store.  The extremely limited Maestro Dobel 1968 extra anejo tequila!  

To set the background, I was leaving the country and looking to bring back as much tequila & mezcal as humanly possible. The official limit per passenger is 3 liters, but I’ve always been a bit of a rule breaker.  Casually, along with my girlfriend, I checked our packed with tequila bags and figured I’d carry on as much tequila as they would allow the two of us to purchase.

The first thing I did was check the price of Don Julio Real, and with the 15% discount for spending a certain amount of money, it was only $222 per bottle!  I picked up two, and then armed with a very trusty assistant at the Duty Free store, was led to a tequila that was “ediccion limitado, casi nunca lo tenemos.”  Translated, whether this was a load of bull, or not, this was their way to say “this is very limited, and we almost never have it.”  Hey, I like anything that people can’t get their hands on, and Dobel is an amazing brand, so this was a no-brainer, even with a price tag around $500.

Allow me to introduce you to Maestro Dobel 1968. This tequila is extra-anejo, and if you are new to tasting tequila, this is the most aged and finest type of tequila that money can buy. This aging process is how Maestro Dobel tequila acquires its unique taste.

The Maestro Dobel Brand History

The Maestro Dobel Brand History goes back hundreds of years, created by Juan Domingo Beckmann Legoretta. He was part of an 11th-generation family of tequila-makers or Tequileros, the Spanish term for people certified and authorized to produce and promote tequila from the Mexican State of Jalisco. Proximo Spirits currently owns Maestro Dobel there.

Beckmann’s beginnings in tequila making begin with leading the Jose Cuervo brand, working together with master distillers Marco Anguiano and Luis Yerenas. In 2008, he created and introduced the Dobel brand of tequila. Dobel is an acronym for the first syllables of Domingo Beckmann Legorreta.

Dobel’s family have always been true tequila lovers who respect the land and agave plants they use to create their fine tequila. Through harvesting, distilling, resting, and aging, they have produced one of the most awarded tequila lines in the world. Every year they release a limited, collectible edition. In 2018, this edition was the Maestro Dobel 1968.

A Closer Look at the Aging Process of Dobel Tequila

The process takes long days in the sun and fields and sacred nights between barrels. The Tequileros use secrets and techniques passed on through centuries to achieve mastery and perfection that stands by Dobel’s name.

This type of high-quality tequila must be aged for one to three years and gives the drink a tasty, smokey appeal.

Created with 100% blue agave, Maestro Dobel Tequila blends with extra-aged and rested (reposado) tequila. Reposados age in oak or white oak barrels for two months to a year before becoming bottled. While the liquor rests, the type of barrel used affects the flavor and gives it a golden hue.

The agave plants used for Maestro Dobel Tequila have grown for eight to ten years, and the liquid extracted from the hand-picked plants is double distilled and then aged in oak casts from Eastern Europe.

Once the aging is complete, filtration begins. This procedure creates a pure, smooth texture while maintaining the complex characteristics of the tequila. Described as having a crisp, clean finish savored by tequila experts worldwide, Maestro Dobel has the cutting edge and unique taste over many other brands.

How Many Bottles of Maestro Dobel 1968 Were Made?

You won’t find much about this limited edition online. At the Cancun Aiport Duty Free, I was told there were 100 bottles, but upon opening up the package and reading the enclosed brochure, it states that I have bottle 1439 of 6,000.  Gotta love the salesmanship in Mexico!

It’s a well-kept secret of the true tequila connoisseur. 

Where to Buy Maestro Dobel 1968

This version is also hard to locate. Often, you get the message asking if you want notification when it becomes available. Grandezza is the only online shop that lists the edition for sale and in-stock if you’re looking for where to buy Maestro Dobel 1968.

Maestro Dobel 1968 Price

This tequila delights those interested in experiencing excellence in tequila and who have the means to acquire it because of its rarity and cost. The Maestro Dobel 1968 price runs $11,473.45 Mexican pesos, which at the time of publishing this piece is just a hair under $600.  This price point reflects its scarcity and premium quality.

Extraordinary Packaging Adds to Maestro Dobel Appeal

Maestro Dobel 1968 has the best packaging you’ll ever encounter!  I have always admired the attention to packaging on fine EA’s (extra anejo’s) and limited releases, but this one takes the cake.  The box tells a story and serves as an almost locker of information and security for the people who are lucky enough to own this rare tequila.

It comes in a heavily embossed bottle revealing its authenticity and quality. The markings formed in the glass make it distinct and memorable, along with the bottle shape, inspired by the laboratory sample bottles used by Tequileros in the distilleries. The glass shape also evokes nostalgia with its vintage apothecary-style, elegantly paired with modern features like its long, sleek neck.

The bottle comes in a firm board box that supports its weight. Earthy red textured paper wraps the box and mimics the look of genuine aged wood. Envision double doors in the front adorned with elegant gold lines and a metal plaque. When you carefully open these doors, you encounter the exquisite bottle of extra-anejo tequila, along with a drawer containing a beautiful glass stopper and a booklet with detailed tasting notes from Beckmann himself.

The bottle is held securely between a sponge-like rubber base and a C-ring at the top. Additional touches include color-matched ribbon attachments used to open the drawer and lift out the stopper. You also discover a black and white photograph of the aging barrels used to create the tequila, located on the inside of the right-hand drawer.

If you want to learn even more about this exceptional tequila, you can view additional information printed in gold foil text on the left-hand drawer.

What to Expect When Opening a Bottle of Maestro Dobel

The limited-edition boasts an amber hue with golden highlights obtained by the long passage it takes through oak during its creation. Its extended evolution in barrels reveals green nuances that give the drink rich robustness other tequilas may lack.

Note:  I have not opened this tequila yet. It’s being saved for a VERY special occasion.  What I’ve done for now is translated the enclosed brochure to provide these tasting notes.

In its passage through the nose, toasted wood notes stand out, followed by notes of caramels, vanilla, and walnuts from the barrel.Surrounded by aromas of honey and fig, which come from the perfect cooking of agaves in ovens.  

You’ll get a subtle hint of wood wood is subtle, leaving notes of dried fruit such as prune, with some hints of chocolate and tobacco, making it structured on the nose.

In the mouth it is smooth and sweet in taste with a pleasant slightly bitter finish.Exceptionally fulfills its olfactory promise and with notes of honey and dried fruits such as figs and dates.Its long evolution in barrel gives it unique tones and a balance of elegant sensations of toasted wood, as well as tones of nuts.The spectrum of aromas is so wide that for several minutes we can enjoy the aging, elaboration, and elegance of this special edition.

​Conclusion

For anyone in a position to try this incredible tequila, it is certainly worth the hefty price tag. Cheers to the noteworthy and distinctive spirit and tone birthed from the marriage of reposado and anejo tequila.