We’ve written about value a lot in the last month or so. Specifically, when we’re talking about alcohol, we talk about the best value per dollar. This is a range to determine how much quality and enjoyment we get from each expression for every dollar we spend to purchase it. The more the quality and enjoyment, the better the value. We’ve already found great value per dollar vodkas and value per dollar gins. Now, it’s tequilas turn.
Tequila is a unique spirit. Drinkers who don’t know much about the agave-based spirit might have a tough time discerning between a great bottle and a not-so-great bottle. Add to that, the confusion between blanco, reposado, añejo, cristalino, and other tequila varieties to the tequila novice. It’s not easy to come in blind and find a decent value per dollar expression.
Luckily for you, we have professionals to help with that. We asked a handful of well-known bartenders to tell us the best value per dollar tequilas you can buy right now. Keep scrolling to see them all, and stock your home bar cart with these beauties.
Tapatio Reposado
Bradley Stephens, USBG bartender at Cereus PDX in Portland, Oregon
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $45
The Tequila:
Tapatio Reposado is famously referred to as the ‘bartender’s bottle’ for a reason. The “We haven’t updated our label design since last century” shouldn’t deter the casual enthusiasts out there. The tequila is made at a higher elevation — with agaves that are grown in higher iron-rich soil — with zero additives and old-school methods. Tapatio is simply beautiful and not overpriced to pay for marketing and endorsement budgets.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of cooked agave, caramel, and fruit leads to a palate of roasted agave, vanilla, and cracked black pepper.
Espolon Reposado
Jennifer Donegan, bar manager at Bar Pendry in Washington DC
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $30
The Tequila:
Espolon Reposado is one of my absolute favorite ‘bang-for-your-buck’ tequila options. It has body without being syrupy, it has a kick without the burn of regret, and the flavor is understated but doesn’t disappear.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find vanilla, fruit, and spices. Drinking it reveals notes of vanilla, roasted agave, tropical fruits, and peppery spice.
Cimarron Blanco
Alex Barbatsis, bar director at The Whistler in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $30
The Tequila:
Cimarron Tequila Blanco is the best value for an additive-free tequila right now. It works phenomenally in margaritas or even tastes great with soda water and a slice of lime. It’s even a great neat sipper in a pinch. It’s difficult to beat.
Tasting Notes:
Flavors of honey, roasted agave, vanilla, and pepper highlight a surprisingly complex nose for a blanco tequila.
Ocho Plata
Federico Doldi, food & beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $42
The Tequila:
The best value-per-dollar tequila is definitely Ocho Plata. This is an incredible tequila. It’s made traditionally with 100% Blue Weber agave.
Tasting Notes:
The peppery, citrus, and marzipan aromas, combined with a flavorful agave sweet and spiced, all at a low cost.
El Tesoro Blanco
Tsuru Goto, food & beverage manager at Society Cafe in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $45
The Tequila:
The El Tesoro agave farm is estate-owned and is not licensed to anyone else. They have a long cooking and distillation process using the “tahona” process. This process separates El Tesoro tequila from most other tequilas on the market. The family that produces El Tesoro has been doing it for 85 years and they focus on smaller batches. This award-winning tequila is known for its crystal-clear color and surprisingly complex flavor.
Tasting Notes:
The resulting product is smooth, earthy, and a little bit peppery with something that might be described as subtly sweet.
Milagro Silver
Tracy Javier, lead mixologist at VUE Rooftop at Hotel Washington in Washington, DC
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $33
The Tequila:
Milagro Silver is my choice for a good value per dollar tequila. It might not be a tequila I would drink on the rocks, but it makes for a delicious margarita. Also, as someone who loves creating cocktails, I enjoy infusing this brand to create something one-of-a-kind.
Tasting Notes:
It’s inexpensive and smooth with hints of fresh agave, citrus, and pear. It’s a great choice as a mixing tequila.
Arette Blanco
Bijan Ghiai, beverage manager and Sommelier at Urban Hill in Salt Lake City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $27
The Tequila:
This is an easy one. Tequila Arette Blanco is typically under $30 for a 1000 ml bottle. The distillery, El Llano, is one of the oldest in the region of Jalisco. Paired with the fact that the agave is hand-selected and naturally fermented in stone tanks, this spirit is an easy pick-up and great for cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
It has a subtle and deep sweetness with a stark, grassy, and vegetal profile that screams traditionally authentic to me.
Suerte Blanco
Nick Jackon, head bartender at The Rum House in New York City
ABV: 30%
Average Price: $32
The Tequila:
Suerte Blanco is perfect when looking for a “value” tequila. It’s an additive-free tequila for a great price, making it a very versatile tequila that is as good on its own as well as making excellent cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
As a tequila flavor profile should be, it has notes of agave, black pepper, fresh herbal qualities, and a lovely earthiness with subtle orange hints.
Teremana Reposado
Phil Castello, USBG bartender at owner at The Side Lot in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $33
The Tequila:
Celebrity spirits get a bad rap. But at a price point under $40, this one is hard to argue with. Copper pot still distilled and aged in former American whiskey barrels, it’s known for its complex and balanced flavor.
Tasting Notes:
With oak, vanilla, caramel, and gentle spices, this is a memorable sipping tequila you’ll go back to again and again.
Olmeco Altos Blanco
Sean Yeats, USBG bartender at Porco Lounge and Tiki Room in Cleveland
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $28
The Tequila:
My best pick for value tequila is Olmeco Altos Blanco. For $30, I’d say it’s a pretty good deal and what I like in my well. It’s an outstanding blanco made from 100% Blue Weber agave that is grown in the Los Altos highlands of Mexico.
Tasting Notes:
It has no additives and while I wouldn’t call it a sipper, you still get some of that nice bright cooked agave and white pepper, which comes through in cocktails.
