The best affordable tequila is hard to pin down. It isn’t a single product like vodka or even bourbon. Instead, it comes in three main varieties: White (or Silver or Blanco or Plata), Reposado (rested), and Anejo (aged). There’s also “extra Anejo” — but this piece is about cheap tequila and longer aging means longer storage, which equals high prices for you. Aging aside, the juice of the agave piñas (their root bulbs) is often twice distilled to help take the alcohol edge off. Aging also helps to mellow the spirit, while adding the flavors we recognize from other barrel-aged products (oak, smoke, and vanilla).
All this to say: Tequila isn’t quite as simple as other beloved drinks. Even tequila’s sister spirit, mezcal, can be made with a vast array of agave plants across Mexico, but to be called “tequila” a bottle has to come from blue agave in Jalisco.
With its many permutations and styles, tequila is endlessly fascinating. So, let’s dive into some of the best cheap tequila bottles you can buy right now across America. We’ve focused in on tequila here, so no mezcal. We’ve also focused almost entirely on silver and reposados as those are the bottles that fall into the $10 to $30 price range.
$10-$20 RANGE:
Jose Cuervo Tequila Gold
Jose Cuervo is one of the most popular tequila brands on the market. Generally speaking, this one is best used for mixing drinks. Make yourself a tequila and soda with some Topo Chico and lime or mix up a tasty margarita.
If you’re taking shots, this one will burn a little. You’ve been warned.
Sauza Gold Tequila
Sauza is another perfect tequila for mixing drinks. There’s a lightly roasted agave edge and it’s slightly sweeter than Cuervo, making it the perfect margarita base. Sauza is also almost always cheaper than Cuervo, which is a solid bonus.
Lunazul Reposado
Lunazul is a very easy-to-drink tequila. Their Reposado is aged for seven months in oak which whittles off the harder edges of the alcohol. There’s a definite agave essence, along with a hint of vanilla. Try a shot, mix it in a marg, down it with some soda. It all works.
1800 Reposado Tequila
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1800 Reposado is a blend of oak-aged tequilas. There’s a smoothness to this one that stands out. Expect a light hit of agave along with a very mellow sweetness on the end.
This bottle is perfect for a tequila and soda.
Margaritaville Tequila Silver
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This one’s in the name. Margaritaville Silver is the tequila you throw in a blender with a bunch of ice, plenty of lime, a good dose of triple sec, and a dash of agave syrup and then hit the puree button. Good, cheap tequila is what makes a great frozen margarita. At 12 bucks a bottle, this is exactly that.
Exotico Reposado Tequila
Exotico’s Reposado leans into the aging and oak. There’s a nice balance of agave, spice, and sweetness at play here. It’s surprisingly easy to drink for the price range and makes for a perfect shot or highball mixer.
Sauza Signature Blue Silver Tequila
Sauza’s Signature Blue is a heavy-hitting silver tequila. The smoothness makes this one a great sip. There’s a definite hint of cinnamon, citrus, and floral agave in there.
This one’s versatile enough to drink straight or mix into a nice cocktail.
Kirkland Signature Silver Tequila
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Costco’s Silver Tequila wins the best price for taste by a country mile. First, you’re getting a 1.75-liter bottle for around $18.99 (depending on your state’s taxes)! That’s 2.3 bottles for less than 20 bucks. So, you’re already ahead.
What makes this the best cheap tequila on the list is that it’s not at all bad. It’s a very agave-forward tequila with nice florals and spice and a good balance of alcohol that doesn’t overwhelm. You can use this tequila anyway you like.
$20-$30 RANGE:
Altos Plata Tequila
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Altos, part of the Olmeca house of spirits, is the tequila connoisseur’s tequila. Their Plata is a revelation. From the first sip, you get a real hit of fire-roasted agave. That dose of agave is accented with bark spices and floral notes and a hint of citrus. It’s complex and delicious.
Drink it straight from the bottle if you want. Or, mix it into the best tequila soda you’ll drink.
Corralejo Reposado Tequila
Corralejo is fine tequila with a complex and unique taste. There’s a distinctly roasted agave hit up front that fades into an almost briny olive flavor. It finishes with a honey sweetness and pine resin bitterness.
This one’s worth drinking neat or on the rocks to enjoy all the complex notes.
Cazadores Tequila Blanco
You can’t go wrong with a bottle of Cazadores. Their Blanco is seriously smooth and balanced. The agave is the sole star of the show here. You’ll also get a floral note with a little spice to round things out.
Overall, with Cazadores as a base, your margaritas are gonna pop!
Espolon Reposado Tequila
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Espolon is nearly a sipping tequila. It’s oaky spiciness, vanilla, and florals are perfectly accented by a strong sense of blue agave that brings the fire. This is another you can drink straight from the bottle.
Tres Agaves Blanco Tequila
Tres Agaves will make you sit up straight. The distilled spirit is the pure essence of roasted agave with little to no hard edges. It’s one of the easiest blanco tequilas to drink on the list, so don’t hesitate to take a shot if you want. It also pairs amazingly well with the minerals of a cold Topo Chico. Your choice.
Milagro Tequila Reposado
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Milagro is a very easy tequila to drink. The aging gives this one a very rounded feel of agave balanced with vanilla, spice, and florals without any alcohol abrasiveness. It’s a great sipping, shooting, or mixing tequila.
Altos Reposado
Altos Reposado is like sunshine in a bottle. The aging process amps up the beautiful smokiness of the blue agave, along with a real sense of an orchard in full bloom. The finish is a whisper of heavy bark spice.
This is another tequila that’s almost too easy to drink straight from the bottle. So maybe mix it with some soda water or mix it into a nice Paloma cocktail.
Kirkland Signature Tequila Anejo
Costco did it again. First, this is a 1-liter bottle! So, you’re getting a great deal on that end alone. Second, this is just a really good tequila for the price. It’s got a nice hit of roasted agave with spiciness and sweetness from the aging. It works as a great shot or the perfect mixer. Oh, and, again, it’s really inexpensive. All wins.
