Taster’s Club Best Tequila Brands in 2023
Written by Emma C | Updated August 2023
While many people have helped tequila live up to its name as a choice “party drink”, not all of the best tequila brands are necessarily characterized this way. Whether you’re after an unaged blanco, a rested reposado, a matured añejo, or a premium extra añejo, the top brands use traditional and modern production methods to create the very best. To help you make a great choice, we’ve tasted many tequilas and rounded up these Taster’s Club top brands, all available in our bottle shop and perfect to sip slowly or mix into delicious cocktails. While you likely won’t find them at your local dive bar (like you would a fine wine or Scotch), it’s totally worth grabbing a bottle or two to appreciate on your own terms. As one of the most versatile spirits around, you can’t go wrong with any of these brands.
Taster's Club's Best Tequila Brands: Available in our Bottle Shop
1. Próspero Blanco
Made with 100% blue agave from Jalisco’s Lowlands, the bright, aroma-rich Próspero Blanco offers top-quality flavor and great value. Pop star Rita Ora collaborated with master distiller Stella Anguiano to produce this San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023 Double Gold winner. It has soft, peppery notes with herbaceous anise and vegetal agave.
Region: Jalisco | Tasting Notes: Pepper, Spice, Anise, Herb | ABV: 40%
2. El Tequileno, The Sassenach Select Tequila Reposado
This Sassenach Select expression is the first collaboration between award-winning El Tequileño and The Sassenach Spirits teams. During several trips to Mexico, Antonio “Tony” Salles met with Scottish actor and spirit enthusiast Sam Heughan. They successfully did this blend justice by combining their cultures and shared passion for creating fantastic spirits.
Region: Jalisco | Tasting Notes: Cooked Agave, Vanilla, Herbal, Caramel | ABV: 42%
3. Hotel California Reposado
Aged for at least six months in French and American oak barrels, Hotel California’s Reposado offers wood, cooked agave, a bit of sweetness, almond, vanilla, and cocoa aromas. This smooth tequila boasts a well-defined character and a long finish.
Region: Guadalajara | Tasting Notes: Citrus, Floral, Oak Wood, Nut, Vanilla | ABV: 40%
4. Avion Reserva 44
Handcrafted in limited batches, this Avión Reserva 44 extra añejo is aged for a minimum of 36 months in American oak barrels. It offers aromas of cooked agave, roasted hazelnuts, and vanilla, along with flavors like honey, vanilla, caramel, almonds, eucalyptus, roasted agave, oak, and leather.
Region: Jesus Maria | Tasting Notes: Vanilla, Honey, Caramel, Almond | ABV: 40%
5. Black Sheep Añejo
With sweet agave, honey, and toasty, oak barrel aromas, this award-winning, additive-free Black Sheep Tequila Añejo has similar flavors plus a deliciously long finish with a bit of honey and agave notes. The well-balanced spirit’s mouthfeel is clean and light.
Region: Jalisco | Tasting Notes: Agave, Honey | ABV: 40%
6. ArteNOM Seleccion 1146 Añejo
At Tequileña in Tequila, Jalisco, Master Distiller Enrique Fonseca distills agave predominantly grown in and around his highland hometown of Atotonilco el Alto. For this añejo expression, Enrique ages select tequilas initially in used Cabernet Franc wine barrels from the Loire Valley of France for a minimum of 14 months. The tequila is then extracted from the French oak and laid into toasted American white oak previously used to age either Canadian whiskey or Tennessee rye whiskey, for a minimum of 14 additional months, for a truly masterful balance of oak and agave flavors.
Region: Jalisco | Tasting Notes: Butterscotch, Chocolate, Vanilla | ABV: 40%
7. Corralejo Extra Añejo 3 Year
This estate-grown tequila is made with 100% Blue Weber Agave hand-harvested from the maker’s fields in Guanajuato. It’s then aged for 36 months in charred American oak barrels. The 400-year-old Charentais double-distillation method used (as perfected by the French in distilling Cognac) helps to retain the spirit’s aroma and flavor extremely well.
Region: Guanajuato | Tasting Notes: Oak, Agave, Pepper | ABV: 40%
8. Tequila Ocho Plata
This fine tequila from the Highlands of Jalisco is made with top-quality ingredients, including single-field, estate-grown, overripe agaves looked after carefully by the Camarena family. The agave brings with it the essence of the rancho from which it grew.
Region: Jalisco | Tasting Notes: Agave, Pepper, Mint, Fruit, Earth | ABV: 40%
9. El Tesoro Extra Añejo Tequila
This extra añejo is named in honor of Carlos Camarena’s father, Felipe J., and their shared passion for maturing tequila. The special blend is slowly aged for 4-5 years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, which add rich coffee and chocolate flavors.
Region: Los Altos | Tasting Notes: Agave, Oak, Pepper, Caramel, Vanilla | ABV: 40%
10. Casa Noble Añejo
Aged for two years in new French oak barrels, this acclaimed añejo offers complex aromas of spice and dried fruit that complement flavors of toasted oak, butterscotch, vanilla, and sweet cooked agave.
Region: Tequila | Tasting Notes: Oak, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Agave | ABV: 40%
Now that you’re armed with our list of best tequila brands, you’ll be ready with amazing options the next time you’re looking to restock that home bar or have some friends over. Whether you’re looking for a slow sipper or something that stands up in a margarita, you can’t go wrong. Can’t decide? No worries, our Tequila Club offers a new pick every month, and the best part is you just need to sign up and sit back – we take care of all the details.
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