If you happen to wished to go search on-line to search out the very best tequila manufacturers from Mexico, it needs to be a simple job, proper? See which of them get picked probably the most and you then’ll be set.
Sadly, as I’ve realized after researching this topic for a few years, there’s nearly no settlement from article to article, from competitors to competitors, on that are the very best manufacturers of tequila. Plus Google’s search outcomes have gone down in high quality a lot over the previous 12 months and a half that it’s arduous to search out articles from actual consultants on most topics within the first placce, relatively than simply model hyperlinks for procuring.
There are most likely greater than 1,000 tequila manufacturers now, all constituted of the identical blue weber agave plant. Every has three or 4 basic classes inside every model, then you will have offshoots of these like bleached-out aged tequila that’s a brand new fad.
You typically see many alternative manufacturers on a Mexican shelf than you do in the US, which makes it extra sophisticated. Plus the U.S. liquor distribution system is sort of as wacky and illogical as its electoral faculty system we use to determine on a president. There are manufacturers from the large Jose Cuervo firm (owned by a good bigger conglomerate) that yow will discover wherever, however then plenty of the smaller producers profitable awards are solely out there in just a few locations.
Plus you will have the motivation points behind the scenes. Liquor distributor awards are about what sells, magazines appear to all the time sneak in a model or two from an organization that’s promoting with them, events and junkets have extra affect on what will get written about.
Amongst particular person reviewers (together with me), you’ll be able to by no means eradicate private style bias. My favourite bourbon or beer gained’t be the identical as yours, so how do I say what is a superb tequila, or which is the greatest reposado tequila out of all these out there on the shelf?
So if I need goal solutions, I flip to the blind tasting competitions for spirits. Essentially the most revered annual contest on the market within the liquor world is the World Spirits Competitors going down annually in San Francisco. It will get probably the most entries, has probably the most revered and skilled judges, and conducts blind tastings that eradicate any previous assumptions from the combo. If a spirit will get marked as gold by each decide, which isn’t frequent, then it will get the designation as Double Gold.
This text on the very best tequila from Mexico was up to date in November, 2024, based mostly on the newest outcomes from the San Francisco World Spirits competitors, principally highlighting these Double Gold winners.
Latest Finest Tequila Model Winners
I put up the primary model of this text within the 2010s and naturally there have been adjustments annually in who wins. Some high-end tequila manufacturers appear to maintain standing out from the pack 12 months after 12 months, whereas different ones have a pleasant displaying as soon as after which disappear.
The San Francisco World Spirits competitors has modified the way it publicizes winners a number of instances and their web site will get extra sophisticated annually. It’s relatively arduous to trace down the winners now until you go to their procuring part they’ve added in a current company merger otherwise you hand over your e-mail tackle to see the outcomes.
They’ve gone forwards and backwards in choosing a “greatest in present” winner and that appears to be again, so let’s begin there Drumroll please, the winner is…
Don Fulano Fuerte Blanco
By no means heard of Don Fulano? Neither had I and it’s a wierd selection. To begin with, a blanco tequila (typically referred to as silver) is unaged tequila, the least well-liked kind, the yet one more prone to go in cocktails as an alternative of sipped neat. And this one is 100 proof on high: 50% alcohol. However hey, the judges gave this one the very best marks.
I do wish to search this out although as a result of it’s a household owned enterprise, not a part of one of many huge worldwide liquor conglomerates, and their web site has an entire part explaining their whole course of, with every tequila kind itemizing specs intimately.
In any other case, we have to take a look at who scored a Double Gold as a result of the Tasting Alliance that runs this competitors is handing out so many awards now that the ceremony should go on for days. Getting a Bronze is beginning to seem like a participation prize. Even among the many Double Golds, Mexico positioned 88 bottles. So both the nation is getting higher at what they do by leaps and bounds annually or the judges are actually loving plenty of totally different spirits.
Among the many tequila winners, who else stood out? As soon as once more, as has been the case most different instances I’ve up to date this text, it’s the model Cierto. They’ve turn into the undisputed king of premium tequilas. Their title is the Spanish phrase for “sure,” which appears apt on this case. Cierto Tequila got here dwelling with 5 Double Gold awards, for one blanco, two reposado variations, and two additional añejo variations.
Reserve Assortment Blanco
Personal Assortment Reposado
Reserve Assortment Further Añejo
Reserve Assortment Reposado
Personal Assortment Further Añejo
Their web site says that is “probably the most awarded tequila in historical past” and I believe that’s most likely true: they’ve racked up lots of of them. These are costly bottles, however in contrast to many on the three-figures stage, these appear to justify the value. It is a certain factor should you’re shopping for a present to impress, particularly if the recipient is a tequila lover.
For the remainder of the Double Gold winners, there are just a few we’ve talked about in our tequila opinions, like these:
Don Julio (although it was the blanco that gained Double Gold, two others gained Gold)
1800 Reposado (right here’s our 1800 anejo assessment)
Casa Don Ramon (although it was two restricted version variations)
Then there are plenty of manufacturers I’ve by no means heard of earlier than. That is even if I stay in Mexico, I drink tequila a good bit, and I’m a spirits reviewer. Many of those bottles I’ve by no means even seen in a bar or on a shelf.
Since these tastings happen within the USA, assume that each one are 40% alcohol. The quantity you’ll pay might be unstable and the value of tequila is considerably decrease in Mexico if the model is offered there and the spirit is often bottled at 38% alcohol as an alternative. Typically the bottles are 700ml as an alternative of 750 and also you’ll often have no less than 50 selections in a large Mexican grocery store.
If you happen to’re caught shopping for one thing on the Oxxo comfort retailer, the place you’re restricted to the top-selling tequila, go for frequent award winners Don Julio, Don Ramon, Cuervo Tradicional, or Herradura. You’ll have a wider choice at Responsibility Free, however the costs are nearly all the time greater than you’ll pay in a standard liquor retailer until it’s a particular version you’ll be able to’t discover elsewhere otherwise you’re shopping for three bottles of one thing.
Use this as a information for which top-shelf tequila manufacturers are really definitely worth the cash and which of them you would possibly wish to experiment with.
Tequila Manufacturers Successful A number of Double Gold Awards
As talked about above, the massive winner once more was Cierto, taking dwelling 5 trophies. Right here’s who else confirmed that it wasn’t only one strike of inspiration: they gained a couple of Double Gold Award.
Alquimia for 2 additional añejo variations, 5 years and 14 years
Casa Don Ramon for 2 particular restricted version añejo tequilas
El Tesoro for a blanco and a particular version
Lodge California reposado and añejo
Rodeo de la Aquas for reposado and further anejo
Tequila de la Jente for 2 manufacturers marked “T” and “D”
Tequila Nobleza 33 for blanco and reposado
Tequila Ocho for a blanco/silver tequila and a reposado
A few of these I’ll attempt to discover and assessment later, others could also be too obscure to find outdoors of Jalisco and some specialty outlets. If you happen to do see considered one of them, or one thing else from that model, it’s most likely a strong selection the place you’ll be able to’t go unsuitable.
Sure, the Lodge California model is owned by the individuals who personal the resort of that title in Todos Santos. It’s an excellent worth too, so decide a bottle or two up should you’re within the space.
We famous within the final model of this submit that Tequila de la Gente was a crowd-sourced tequila model that was solely out there in boxed tasting kits of 4 200ml bottles ($109 plus transport). Oddly, it’s nonetheless listed that manner on their web site after two years of putting as winners, so we’re unsure what’s holding them up nonetheless.
A Few Return Tequila Manufacturers
Some manufacturers that we’ve highlighted as winners prior to now received one Double Gold in the newest competitors, so it’s truthful to say they’re persistently placing out an excellent product. Listed below are just a few that you simply would possibly wish to search out. I wish to purchase the primary two simply due to the enjoyable names.
Ay! Ay! Ay!
JaJa
Lana
Avion
Black Sheep
The next gained Gold awards, not Double Gold, however they’ve persistently positioned a number of variations on the winners checklist prior to now and you may make sure they’ve made the tasting judges blissful.
Cantera Negra
Cutwater
El Sativo Natural
Don Julio
Cutwater
Herradura
El Patriarca
High Further Añejo Tequila: Be Cautious of Hype
If a tequila is aged in barrels for greater than two years, it’s often labeled as Further Añejo, a classification that has been round lower than twenty years. Typically the spirit is aged in French oak barrels, different instances in used bourbon barrels.
Some suppose that’s an excessive amount of of an excellent factor and complain that the agave is overwhelmed by the oak, but when carried out proper these top-shelf tequila bottles are a factor of surprise. Many of the best tequilas and the most costly bottles are on this class.
These “big day” bottles often value probably the most because of the further effort and time, plus since they’re sipping bottles meant to be savored for a very long time, these are typically those with probably the most elaborate bottles, perfect for gift-giving. The actual high shelf tequila.
Be suggested that there’s plenty of misplaced hype on this class although. One model we are going to go away unnamed expenses $1,600 a bottle however has by no means gotten higher than a silver award that we’ve seen and a number of other others that had been greater than $300 didn’t even place.
If you happen to’re going to spend greater than $100 on a bottle of booze, make it one that’s persistently praised by consultants, just like the Cierto ones, Don Julio 1942, Black Sheep, or Lobos 1707.
Tequila Value and High quality Are Seldom Correlated
There are just a few classes in all these high-quality tequila blind tasting winners.
1) Value is mostly a foul indication of high quality in the case of 100% blue agave plant tequila. You would possibly get higher stuff spending $50 than you do spending $250—although there are just a few winners this 12 months that promote for greater than $200. They’re within the minority although. For each Casa Dragones that leaves you saying “How a lot?,” there are bottles for half the value which might be wonderful.
Aged tequila will value greater than clear tequila that hasn’t been by way of an growing older course of, after all, however evaluate apples to apples and there are apparent outliers. These common retail costs within the USA among the many winners are fairly cheap, particularly in comparison with the showy bottles you typically see touted as price an enormous premium. (Trace, they’re often not. You’re paying for the packaging.)
2) Don’t assume that superstar tequila manufacturers are any higher than common manufacturers, the identical manner endorsers don’t make for higher cereal or vitality drinks. If that tequila is promoted by a actuality TV star, it’s most likely a opposite indicator as an alternative. There are exceptions, like Avion, JaJa, and Lobos 1707, however extra which might be simply bandwagon leaping. I like George Clooney films, however you don’t see an extended checklist of tasting awards listed on the Casamigos web site.
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Tequila the city, not the drink
3) The highlands of Jalisco have a tendency to supply extra award-winning manufacturers than the lowlands across the namesake metropolis do. So when you could not be capable of say all “Los Altos” tequilas are nice, those from there are likely to have extra complexity and work higher as sipping tequilas, particularly the reposados. Opposite to what some folks suppose, not all tequila comes from Jalisco. Most does, however there are just a few notable manufacturers from different Mexican states, like Guanajuato.
4) Don’t dismiss a model simply since you’ve by no means heard of it. Many of the main manufacturers which might be 100% agave are no less than respectable—many often win silver or bronze in these competitions—however should you take an opportunity on one you’ve by no means heard of you would possibly get a really good shock and discover among the best sipping tequilas on the shelf. The tequila business is large and regardless of consolidation, there may be room for lots of gamers, all doing issues a little bit otherwise within the manufacturing course of.
The recognition of tequila from Mexico retains growing: some studies are displaying that it has turn into the #1 spirit within the USA, outselling vodka. So count on extra tequila manufacturers you’ve by no means heard of to hit the market in coming years. Simply keep in mind that some Mexican distilleries are making a number of manufacturers in a single facility below contract, so these tasting competitions are a great way to separate high quality from advertising and marketing hype.
Comfortable looking!
This text on the very best tequila from Mexico was up to date in November of 2024.
