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The 10 Best Tequila Brands to Drink in 2022
Tequila is enjoying a well earned resurgence as a spirit of depth and quality.
The growth of diverse brands (and famous faces investing), strong Mexican legislation and regulation, and advances in agave plant production and spirit distillation best practice has shifted the market.
Gone are the days when you’d pound down a couple of tequila shot as part of your night out, or whip some into a dirty margarita mix you’d share with the crew before you hit the club.
Whether you’re a sipper, slurper, or high wire mixologist, knowing what makes a good tequila brand now comes in handy, whether at home, dining, or out on the town.
The following list of 10 best tequilas to try in 2020 showcases a range of options at all points of the pricing spectrum, whether you’re on a budget or looking for the finest in Mexican spirits.
What types of tequila can I buy?
There are three main types of tequila; blanco, reposado, and anejo, although you’ll find joven (in between blanco and reposado) cristalino (filtered clear) and extra anejo tequila (matured longer) online as well.
There’s also Mezcal, a liquor akin to tequila with many different type of agave, including the wild agave pinas that grows on the mountain side.
Blanco tequila is unaged tequila that tastes more of the agave plant and citrus than the aged tequila versions. While it’s generally the cheaper priced option, there are versatile versions available for those who like a clean winded agave flavor.
Reposado and anejo tequilas are recommended for the experienced tequila enthusiast that’s looking for a specific taste. They are darker in color, generally aged in an American oak barrel, and gain a heavy but smoother flavor from their lengthier distillation process.
The longer tequila is aged, the more flavor and aroma it takes on from the ex-bourbon barrels or French oak casks used to store it. Often, you find that whiskey drinkers trying tequila for something different will respond well to the richness and complexity of their taste.
Best Buy
1. Tears of Lllorona Extra Anejo Tequila
Tears of Llorona is a small batch extra anejo tequila aged five years in oak barrels that have previously held scotch, sherry, and brandy.
The combination of triple barreling and extra-long aging creates a complex, layered fusion that is more like a cognac or a very old whiskey with black cherry notes and crème brulee, but melded with the beautiful clear notes of agave.
Master Distiller Germán Gonzalez – a true industry legend whose line traces back to the Mexican presidency – harvests only high altitude, late season blue agaves which are known for sugar content.
The Tears of Lllorona – check out her story sometime – is a fabulous expression and the one I’d most recommend to lovers of whiskey crossing over to sipping tequila.
2. Tequila Casa Dragones Joven
The epitome of smooth sipping premium joven tequila this one from Casa Dragones is the perfect mix of flavor (anejo) and balance (blanco) – it’s silky with not bitter aftertaste.
Casa Dragones Joven tequila is a small batch, limited edition, 100% Blue Agave tequila, which offers the flavor of pair and vanilla, while the finish offers hazelnut and clean air.
Casa Dragones is certainly a favorite of ours here at Next Luxury – it’s Blanco topped our list for Best Tequilas to try in your margarita cocktail or mixed drink.
See more about - Best Tequilas to Try in Margaritas
3. Espolon Blanco Tequila
Espolon Blanco tequila honors Mexico’s art and history, and the story of Espolon – the spur of a rooster – is great for starting conversations.
With the lead in 750ml bottle priced from under $30 and crafted in Jalisco from 100% Blue Agave plant, it’s a good tequila at a bargain price.
Buying a tequila with versatility like Espolon Blanco can sometimes be the way to go – a party may break out after a quality tequila shot, mixed drink or cocktail loosens things up! A nice, simple tequila is useful to pour liberally than a more expensive Blanco tequila with similar clean agave taste.
4. Cincoro Tequila Extra Anejo
Cincoro Tequila Extra Anejo tequila is a truly premium tequila – with the price tag to match, it’s by far the most expensive tequila brand on this list – aged underground at the Cincoro distillery for 40-44 months, far longer than mandated for Extra Anejo tequilas.
Cincoro Extra Anejo is a blend of reserve barrels specially selected for their individual attributes, then blended into a layer of complementary flavors.
The tequila’s color is deep copper from the additional time in barrel, with the aroma of cooked agave, toasted oak and dried tropical fruit.
It’s sweet agave is well balanced on the palate by notes of wood, raisin, fig, light coffee, dark chocolate. The long finish offers cooked agave and traces of cocoa.
5. Clase Azul Plata Tequila
This Silver Tequila in the funky bottle is made from Tequilana Weber Blue Agave and offers a delightfully smooth flavor yet clean, complex taste of the sweet Agave.
It has a big mouth feel and signature tequila heat but eases into beautiful shades of vanilla and citrus. It’s one of the smoother silver tequila experiences you’ll have.
You can buy this for the beautiful glass bottle alone, which features a signature skinny shape, blue base, and silver agave badging.
6. Casamigos Reposado Tequila
Casamigos Reposado Tequila is distilled from blue agave plants from the Jalisco Highlands, the heartland of Mexican tequila. Each agave is hand-selected for flavor, then slow cooked.
This Casamigos Tequila expression is aged for seven months in white oak barrels, which gives the reposado a chocolate woody taste, which makes it a great option for sipping or drinking neat.
The Casamigos reposado offers an aroma of vanilla, maple, spices and peanut shells, with the customary tequila heat balanced by sweet tropical fruit and oak.
Bonus: El Tequileno Reposado Rare
This is limited edition tequila aged for 6 years in a large American Oak barrel called a Pipon, that can’t be called Anejo tequila due to the massive size of the barrel it’s aged in.
This is a killer expression for sipping, as the flavors from the oak seep deeply into the distillation, lending this Reposado a complex melding of flavors such as dried fruit, honey, vanilla, woody oak and spices.
Each bottle of El Tequileno Reposado Rare is individually numbered and signed by Gran Tequilero, Antonio Salles.
7. Gran Patron Piedra
Patron can dominate a liquor cabinet at all levels, but this ultra-premium tequila goes next level.
Gran Patron Piedra is crafted by the traditional tahona stone, which mashes the cooked agave pina so that it can be pressed for distillation.
This luxurious caramel, vanilla and agave flavored tequila has been aged in a mix of French and American Oak bourbon barrels for four years to give it an almost unrivalled intensity of taste.
Put this expression on the top shelf of your home bar to bring out for those most special occasions.
8. Tequila Partida Reposado
I’m looking forward to getting a crack at a bottle of Tequila Partida Cristalino soon, but the Partido Reposado is a quality rested tequila at the perfect price point.
Partida’s known for taking their agave flavor seriously throughout the process and it really shines through in this earthy expression.
It’s a smooth tequila for being only 6 months aged, with the flavors of butter, vanilla, caramel and charred oak from the barrel supporting the central 100% blue weber agave.
It’s a definite smooth sipping tequila for complete novices or tequila lovers alike.
9. Sombra Mezcal Joven Ensamble
If you’re going to take on the wilder mezcal, this is the way to go for strong agave flavor. Only 2,000 bottles of this limited edition Joven Mezcal were created.
Sombra Ensamble is a blend of mezcals distilled from wild Tepeztate and Tobala agave pinas.
Ensamble is made from 61% wild Tepeztate agave (which Sombra took care not to overharvest) and 39% Tobala Agave, which yields small amounts of very sweet agave spirit.
The Sombra Ensamble Mezcal is packaged in a luxury gift box with an informational booklet and a hand-numbered card.
Bonus: Dos Hombres Mezcal Espadin
Another quality Mezcal, this time a smooth blend of the finest Espadin agave, hand-selected from the hillsides e in Oaxaca.
Dos Hombres is best enjoyed neat or in a long glass to allow the wild roasted agave flavor and aroma to build up on the nose, before the rich taste of natural zapote fruits, mango, and the hint of smoke builds on the palate.
This is a reasonably priced mezcal with a premium quality flavor and is a good starting point for the tequila connoisseur looking to change it up.
10. El Jimador Anejo Tequila
El Jimador Anejo is crafted from the finest hand-selected blue agave and then double distilled and aged in American Oak.
The dark amber tequila blends the classical taste of agave with smooth, buttery notes of caramel and walnut from the 12 month cask maturation, with a hint of cinnamon and spices at the finish.
While one of the cheaper tequilas on this list the El Jimador Anejo is a bottle you can buy with great confidence to enjoy an aged tequila flavor experience.
