If you happen to wished to go search on-line to search out the very best tequila manufacturers from Mexico, it ought to be a straightforward job, proper? See which of them get picked essentially the most and then you definately’ll be set.
Sadly, as I’ve discovered 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 onerous to search out articles from actual consultants on most topics within the first placce, fairly 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 normal classes inside every model, then you might 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 america, which makes it extra sophisticated. Plus the U.S. liquor distribution system is nearly as wacky and illogical as its electoral school system we use to determine on a president. There are manufacturers from the massive Jose Cuervo firm (owned by a fair bigger conglomerate) that yow will discover wherever, however then a variety of the smaller producers profitable awards are solely obtainable in a couple of locations.
Plus you might 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 may by no means eradicate private style bias. My favourite bourbon or beer received’t be the identical as yours, so how do I say what is a good tequila, or which is the greatest reposado tequila out of all these obtainable on the shelf?
So if I need goal solutions, I flip to the blind tasting competitions for spirits. Probably the most revered annual contest on the market within the liquor world is the World Spirits Competitors happening every year in San Francisco. It will get essentially the most entries, has essentially the most revered and skilled judges, and conducts blind tastings that eradicate any previous assumptions from the combination. If a spirit will get marked as gold by each decide, which isn’t widespread, 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, primarily based on the newest outcomes from the San Francisco World Spirits competitors, principally highlighting these Double Gold winners.
Current Greatest Tequila Model Winners
I put up the primary model of this text within the 2010s and naturally there have been modifications every year 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 exhibiting as soon as after which disappear.
The San Francisco World Spirits competitors has modified the way it declares winners a number of instances and their web site will get extra sophisticated every year. It’s fairly onerous to trace down the winners now except you go to their procuring part they’ve added in a current company merger otherwise you surrender your e-mail handle to see the outcomes.
They’ve gone backwards and forwards in selecting 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. Initially, a blanco tequila (typically known as silver) is unaged tequila, the least standard sort, the yet one more prone to go in cocktails as a substitute of sipped neat. And this one is 100 proof on prime: 50% alcohol. However hey, the judges gave this one the very best marks.
I do need to search this out although as a result of it’s a household owned enterprise, not a part of one of many massive worldwide liquor conglomerates, and their web site has an entire part explaining their total course of, with every tequila sort itemizing specs intimately.
In any other case, we have to have 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 appear 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 every year or the judges are actually loving a variety 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 change 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 house with 5 Double Gold awards, for one blanco, two reposado variations, and two further 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 “essentially 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 not like many on the three-figures degree, these appear to justify the value. This can be a certain factor when 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 a couple of we’ve talked about in our tequila evaluations, like these:
Don Julio (although it was the blanco that received Double Gold, two others received Gold)
1800 Reposado (right here’s our 1800 anejo evaluate)
Casa Don Ramon (although it was two restricted version variations)
Then there are a variety of manufacturers I’ve by no means heard of earlier than. That is although I reside 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 could be risky and the value of tequila is considerably decrease in Mexico if the model is out there there and the spirit is normally bottled at 38% alcohol as a substitute. Generally the bottles are 700ml as a substitute of 750 and also you’ll normally have at the very least 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 conventional liquor retailer except it’s a particular version you may’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 well worth the cash and which of them you would possibly need to experiment with.
Tequila Manufacturers Profitable A number of Double Gold Awards
As talked about above, the large winner once more was Cierto, taking house 5 trophies. Right here’s who else confirmed that it wasn’t only one strike of inspiration: they received a couple of Double Gold Award.
Alquimia for 2 further 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
Resort 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 evaluate later, others could also be too obscure to find exterior of Jalisco and some specialty retailers. If you happen to do see one among them, or one thing else from that model, it’s most likely a strong selection the place you may’t go incorrect.
Sure, the Resort California model is owned by the individuals who personal the resort of that title in Todos Santos. It’s an excellent worth too, so choose a bottle or two up when you’re within the space.
We famous within the final model of this publish that Tequila de la Gente was a crowd-sourced tequila model that was solely obtainable in boxed tasting kits of 4 200ml bottles ($109 plus delivery). Oddly, it’s nonetheless listed that method on their web site after two years of inserting 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 up to now acquired one Double Gold in the newest competitors, so it’s honest to say they’re persistently placing out an excellent product. Listed here are a couple of that you just would possibly need to hunt down. I need to purchase the primary two simply due to the enjoyable names.
Ay! Ay! Ay!
JaJa
Lana
Avion
Black Sheep
The next received Gold awards, not Double Gold, however they’ve persistently positioned a number of variations on the winners record up to now and you’ll be certain they’ve made the tasting judges pleased.
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 normally labeled as Further Añejo, a classification that has been round lower than 20 years. Generally 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 performed proper these top-shelf tequila bottles are a factor of surprise. A lot of the best tequilas and the costliest bottles are on this class.
These “big day” bottles normally value essentially the most as a result of further effort and time, plus since they’re sipping bottles meant to be savored for a very long time, these are typically those with essentially the most elaborate bottles, excellent for gift-giving. The true prime shelf tequila.
Be suggested that there’s a variety of misplaced hype on this class although. One model we’ll depart unnamed fees $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 Worth and High quality Are Seldom Correlated
There are a couple of classes in all these high-quality tequila blind tasting winners.
1) Worth is usually a foul indication of high quality in relation to 100% blue agave plant tequila. You would possibly get higher stuff spending $50 than you do spending $250—although there are a couple of 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 via an getting old course of, after all, however examine apples to apples and there are apparent outliers. These common retail costs within the USA among the many winners are fairly affordable, particularly in comparison with the showy bottles you typically see touted as value an enormous premium. (Trace, they’re normally not. You’re paying for the packaging.)
2) Don’t assume that movie star tequila manufacturers are any higher than common manufacturers, the identical method 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 a substitute. There are exceptions, like Avion, JaJa, and Lobos 1707, however extra which might be simply bandwagon leaping. I like George Clooney motion pictures, however you don’t see a protracted record 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 provide extra award-winning manufacturers than the lowlands across the namesake metropolis do. So when you might not be capable of say all “Los Altos” tequilas are nice, those from there are inclined 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 a couple of notable manufacturers from different Mexican states, like Guanajuato.
4) Don’t dismiss a model simply since you’ve by no means heard of it. A lot of the main manufacturers which might be 100% agave are at the very least respectable—many usually win silver or bronze in these competitions—however when you take an opportunity on one you’ve by no means heard of you would possibly get a really good shock and discover the most effective 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 just a little in a different way within the manufacturing course of.
The recognition of tequila from Mexico retains rising: some reviews are exhibiting that it has change 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 do not forget that some Mexican distilleries are making a number of manufacturers in a single facility beneath contract, so these tasting competitions are a great way to separate high quality from advertising and marketing hype.
Completely satisfied searching!
This text on the very best tequila from Mexico was up to date in November of 2024.