Justin Timberlake, distiller of fine tequila.  Who knew the singer had a flair for both smooth moves, and smooth liquors? Experts agree – the stuff is good.

Timberlake’s new tequila, called 901, passed the sip test – and then some – among three New York tequila afficionados with very discerning tastes.  And they couldn’t have been more surprised to find themselves giving the drink high marks.   

“It’s actually a really nice product,” said self-proclaimed “tequila geek” Dave Kaplan, owner of East Village speakeasy-style bar Death & Co.

“It has a nice richness to it, a full-body mouth feel, a nice finish.”

Head bartender Brian Miller agreed. “I gotta admit, I’m a little surprised,” he said. “I get some vanilla [notes] … I like that.”

901 is great as a sipper on its own, he said, adding it would work well with “citrus, stirred drinks.”

The spirit – named for the area code in the singer’s hometown of Memphis – is crafted from an old, non-Timberlake family recipe using 100 percent blue agave from Jalisco, Mexico.  Those details, Kaplan says, are a mark of quality that lands this $40 tequila somewhere on the spectrum between the upscale brands Herradura and El Tesoro.