There are so many fantastic (and mediocre) tequilas on the market right now that it can create some mild anxiety while you’re scanning the store shelves. As always, there are two key elements when shopping: flavor and price.
While it isn’t necessarily true that you have to spend more money for better tequila it certainly helps. Having said that, there are plenty of bottles out there that aren’t quite worth their hefty price tags. Plus some cheaper bottles that punch way above their weight.
To help ease your shopping experience, we decided to see how well bottles $50 and under would perform against bottles $100 and over in the only fair way we know how. That’s right, we’re talking about a blind taste test!
Methodology
I’ll admit this isn’t a perfect test. There are plenty of bottles that are above $50 but don’t reach that triple-digit price point which would’ve been good candidates to go against the more expensive bottles, but I think this will be an interesting way to see how well more budget-minded bottles perform against the luxurious stuff.
For this blind taste test, I sectioned off my collection of tequila into two groups: below $50 and above $100. I didn’t separate the bottles by expression and instead had my girlfriend choose four bottles from each group at random. This ended up giving me a selection of blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas.
It was a wild ride for my palate, but I love a challenge. Here is our tasting class, along with the prices from low to high.
- Espolòn Reposado — $24.99
- Teremana Blanco — $23.99
- Hijole! Silver — $36.99
- Tres Agaves Añejo — $37.99
- Cierto Private Collection Reposado — $119.99
- El Tesoro Knob Creek Añejo Mundial 2023 — $169.99
- Casa Noble Marques De Case Noble Añejo — $164.99
- Patron El Alto Reposado — $154.99
Once the bottles were shuffled, I had my girlfriend pass me one pour at a time (again, at random). Here are my tasting notes and first impressions.
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Part 1: The Tequila Blind Taste Test
Taste 1:
Nose: Heavy on the vanilla, almost overwhelmingly so with a warm and inviting kiss of oak to balance it out.
Palate: There is a corner store chocolate bar quality to this. Makes me think of Hershey with a bit of vanilla. I’m not tasting any agave here, unfortunately.
Finish: Incredibly smooth. Almost no burn here.
Taste 2:
Nose: Very mellow and warm and completely dominated by caramelized agave.
Palate: More roasted agave on the palate with a mix of rich caramel and zesty citrus.
Finish: A nice buttery finish with a bit of a burn and a lingering oak flavor.
Taste 3:
Nose: Raw agave on the nose, a bit of cracked black pepper, and a wet grassy earthiness. There is a juiciness to the nose that I’m loving.
Palate: All of that interest on the nose is missing from the palate. I get some gentle agave flavor, but what I’m tasting here is mostly neutral with a bit of an alcohol burn.
Finish: That grassiness returns on the finish, but I’m not tasting a whole lot here. So far this is our bottom.
Taste 4:
Nose: Warm and lush roasted agave on the nose, rich oak, and a tiny bit of smoke. The aroma is truly delightful, it has a level of complexity none of the bottles have given us so far.
Palate: Despite its oak and smoke aroma, there is a surprising fruity juiciness to this tequila. In addition to some pear, I’m tasting citrus peel, black pepper, and cinnamon with a kiss of floral honey.
Finish: Slight minerality with a soft oak finish and some spicy cinnamon.
Taste 5:
Nose: Completely dominated by chocolate and vanilla. I know this is an añejo but I’m not getting any oak here.
Palate: Warm and spicy with more vanilla and chocolate.
Finish: Smooth and neutral. There is an unfocused quality about this tequila. I wouldn’t call it bad, but it’s not doing much for me.
Taste 6:
Nose: A nice balance of caramel and agave. I’m getting a sense of cinnamon. Overall there is a soft inviting quality to this one.
Palate: Rich roasted agave, a touch of vanilla, some chili and black pepper, and bright and juicy mango.
Finish: Spicy cinnamon and bitter coffee with a light oakiness.
Taste 7:
Nose: Roasted agave and sweet delicate floral honey offset by some spicy cinnamon sticks.
Palate: A gentle black pepper flavor balanced with juicy tangerines. There is a nice sense of balance here.
Finish: More citrus on the finish, but the zest rather than the juice with a strong wet oak flavor.
Taste 8:
Nose: Finally something that is nice and vegetal. There is a sharp brightness here. It’s warm and sings the nostrils in the best way.
Palate: Some agave and a bit of funk. The nose kind of misled me here. I was expecting something that would bloom on the palate, but this is kind of one note.
Finish: There just isn’t a lot here. It may work as a neutral base for a cocktail but there isn’t much of a flavor to latch onto.
The Tequila:
I always feel bad for whatever bottle snags the last-place spot, but it is what it is. The reason this bottle fell short was because it lacked character. Compared to the other bottles we tasted, this just didn’t have anything that memorable.
Hijole! Silver is produced at NOM 1614, Tequilera Tap, using agave harvested at six years maturity and cooked in an autoclave for 24 hours before being roller mill extracted, and fermented in a stainless steel pot.
The Bottom Line:
It does not have a strong enough character to really compete with the other bottles in this tasting.
7. Patron El Alto (Taste 1)
ABV: 40%
Price: $154.99
The Tequila:
This was the biggest surprise of the tasting. Patron El Alto is not cheap, it’s a luxurious blend of extra añejo, añejo, and reposado tequilas, but the flavor is so stamped out that it couldn’t cut it in a blind taste test. It’s smooth to the point of being characterless.
The tequila is produced at Patrón’s distillery, NOM 1462, using agave cooked in stone brick ovens that is then tahona extracted and rested in American white oak barrels.
The Bottom Line:
Smooth and luxurious, but lacking any agave bite.
6. Teremana Blanco (Taste 8)
ABV: $40%
Price: $23.99
The Tequila:
Teremana, aka The Rock’s tequila, is made from agave sourced from the highlands of Jalisco and hails from NOM 1613, Destilería Teremana de Agave, where it is the only brand in production. We love to see that!
The pinas are roasted in brick ovens and distilled in copper pot stills. I’m not that familiar with this expression and I was delighted by the bright juiciness of its aroma. Unfortunately what I got on the nose didn’t translate to the flavor, which tasted a bit too neutral to me.
The Bottom Line:
For the price it’s impressive, it has a delicate and natural quality to it but it’s missing a big flavor to have it stand out against the competition.
5. Marques de Casa Noble Añejo (Taste 5)
ABV: 40%
Price: $164.99
The Tequila:
Another big surprise here, Casa Noble’s top-of-the-line expression didn’t quite stand out the way I would’ve expected. This bottle delivered a lot of luxurious smoothness but had an unfocused flavor that didn’t resonate with me.
The tequila features a blend of añejo and extra añejo tequilas that were aged between one and five years in French oak barrels.
The Bottom Line:
Very smooth and a delightful sipper, but compared to the other bottles the flavors just aren’t strong enough here.
4. Espolón — Reposado (Taste 2)
ABV: 40%
Price: $24.99
The Tequila:
By far, this was the biggest surprise of the tasting. For the price, there is a lot of interesting nuance to the flavor. It’s mellow, rich, and smooth, but not so smooth that the bright agave flavors have been rubbed out.
Espolón is produced at NOM 1440, Campari, using agave that is aged for three months in American White oak barrels.
The Bottom Line:
For the money, you’re not going to find another tequila this nuanced and interesting. I’ll take Espolón over several expensive bottles any day.
3. Tres Agaves Añejo (Taste 7)
ABV: 40%
Price: $37.99
The Tequila:
Tres Agaves Añejo is pretty solid. This bottle performed incredibly well. Like the Espolón, I think you’re getting a lot of value out of this bottle, which offers the complexity of aged tequila without the high price that comes with spending more time in the barrel.
Produced at NOM 1614, Tequilera Tap, Tres Agaves is made using agave cooked in a high-pressure autoclave that is roller mill extracted and rested for 18 months in repurposed Kentucky Bourbon and Tennesse Whiskey barrels.
The Bottom Line:
A fantastic aged tequila that gives you a lot of deep flavor and character without the high price tag.
2. Cierto — Private Collection Reposado (Taste 6)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $119.99
The Tequila:
Cierto has had a strong presence at the International Spirits Competition NYC, Craft Distillers Spirits Competition, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Sip Awards. It’s a competition darling and one taste is all it takes to see why. In our little blind taste test, this bottle performed incredibly well, it doesn’t have the depth and complexity of our number one pick, but it came damn close and was clearly ahead of everything ranked before it.
The tequila is produced at NOM 1146, Tequileña, and is aged for 11 months in French Limousin oak barrels.
Bottom Line:
A premium tequila that lives up to its hype and price tag.
1. El Tesoro — Mundial Knob Creek Edition Añejo (Taste 4)
ABV: 40%
Price: $169.99
The Tequila:
This was one of our favorite tequilas of 2023 and being that it is made by El Tesoro, one of the best tequila brands right now, we’re not surprised this took the top spot. What makes this aged limited edition tequila special is that it is aged for 12 months in charred oak barrels that once housed Knob Creek bourbon, giving it a sort of savory whiskey quality. It’s a real pleasure to sip.
It has all the smooth and luxurious qualities you’d expect from an aged tequila but doesn’t come across as artificial, giving the agave room to translate through. This was far and above the best tequila we tasted today.
I wanted to come away from this tasting with a sub $100 bottle taking the top spot, but it’s just too hard for those cheaper bottles to compete with the complexity here.
The Bottom Line:
A wonderful depth of flavor and character. A true joy to sip and easily the best bottle in this blind taste test. Price isn’t always everything, but with this bottle, it truly feels worth every penny. It’s the type of bottle you bring out for specific moments.
