Quality Tequila Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune
Tequila is one of those spirits that has a distinct high and low end. When it’s good, it’s transcendent. When it’s bad… yeesh, it can be pretty harsh. There’s a fine line between subtle vegetal agave tastiness and an alcohol burn that’ll kick up a gag reflex. A great bottle of Tequila will engage your palate while getting you lit. A bad one will toss you in a gutter and leave you for dead.
The great thing about good tequila is that it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune. You don’t need to travel too far up the shelf at the liquor store to find a serviceable bottle that works as both a tasty shooter and a solid cocktail base. There’s a nice range to choose from clocking in at $20 per bottle – each sure to hit every marker of smooth drinkability.
The ten bottles below show a range of relatively cheap bottles of tequila that hit that perfect Paloma or marg-mixer and “party all night”-shooter balance. We’ve mostly erred towards Blanco (or Plata) tequilas here to keep costs down. Generally speaking, if you dig the Blanco expression, you’ll really love that label’s Reposado and Anejo riffs.
Use this list as a starting point from which to build your tequila shelf.
CORRALEJO REPOSADO
Avg. Price: $29.99
Story: Located in Corralejo, Pénjamo, Guanajuato, Hacienda Corralejo is the home of Tequila Corralejo, one of the most awarded tequilas in the world. The distillery makes a number of tequilas, including Blanco, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo. Referred to as “Mexico’s best tequila for the world,” Corralejo’s tequilas are designed to be mixed into your favorite cocktails or sipped neat, depending on your taste
Tasting Notes: This highly prized (but not highly-priced) tequila was aged for four months in three different barrels, including French oak, American oak, and Encino oak. The result is a tequila heavily influenced by the various woods – creating a very smooth, balanced tequila with hints of vegetal agave, pine, and vanilla. –Chris Osburn
OLMECA ALTOS PLATA
Avg. Price: $22.99
Story: Olmeca’s Altos Tequila is a masterclass in what a great tequila can be. The blue agave is grown high in the Jalisco highlands using organic and sustainable farming. Classic methods of harvesting, processing, and roasting are employed. Wild yeasts ferment agave sugars. Double distillation refines the spirit. The Plata expression doesn’t hit the barrels and kind of don’t need to.
Tasting Notes: This tequila is pure roasted agave brilliance in every sip. A little bit of black pepper comes in next with a hint of pickle brine and bright citrus. There’s a nice grassy nature to the taste that leads to lime freshly plucked from a tree. Finally, there’s a fruity and spicy nature on the end that ties it all together into one great sip of tequila. –Zach Johnston
ESPOLON BLANCO
Avg. Price: $24.99
Story: You might be wondering about the unique, spooky, skeleton riding a rooster on the bottle. Espolon means “spur” in Spanish. It’s a reference to the rooster, a popular Mexican symbol. Like a few other distillers in the world (including Copper & King’s), Espolon blasts rock music while its agave is fermenting. Who knows if this moves the needle, but this distillery, founded in 1998, has won numerous awards over the past two decades.
Tasting Notes: This filtered Blanco tequila is surprisingly smooth and light. It’s as well-rounded as a tequila that spent months in a barrel maturing, even though it didn’t. It’s sweet, subtly vegetal, with hints of spice and citrus. It’s as at home in a Margarita as it is in the form of an easy to drink a shot. –CO
TRES AGAVES BLANCO
Avg. Price: $24.99
Story: Tres Agaves is a newer tequila in the grand scheme of things. The label started up in 2010 and has been making great middle-of-the-road tequila consistently. The distillery harvests blue agave and roasts in stainless steel ovens before fermentation and double distillation. It’s as modern as Altos is traditional.
Tasting Notes: There’s a clear sense of blue agave upfront with a slight nose of alcohol. It’s still not as aggressive as, say, Cuervo. A slight lemon zest note comes into play with a light edge of spicy pepper leading to a slight alcohol burn with more agave in the end. This is a very straightforward sip of tequila that hits classic notes without overwhelming anything. –ZJ
CAMARENA SILVER
Avg. Price: $19.99
Story: Made from hand-harvested 100% blue agave, Camarena’s tequilas are born in the Arandas Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. One of the most exciting aspects of this brand is the melding of old and new. The distillation process contains the use of traditional ovens to cook the agave, but also employs contemporary techniques.
Tasting Notes: This smooth, award-winning tequila is perfect for a Paloma (our drink of the summer) or tequila sunrise. But, with flavors of citrus, vegetal smoked agave, and subtle pepper, it’s just at home as a sipper on a cool, summer night by the fire surrounded by friends and family. –CO
EL JIMADOR REPOSADO
Avg. Price: $19.99
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