Pop culture has done a disservice to tequila, from the idea that one lines up shots with lime wedges and salt to the myth of worms in the bottle (that was mezcal, not tequila, and a marketing gag at best). But tequila-making is an art, and its production has strict guidelines both in ingredients and its geographical origins: It is only distilled from blue agave in the Mexican state of Jalisco and designated areas of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. In fact, the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila, in Jalisco, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Great tequila is fine in a margarita or paloma, but the finest ones are of such quality and flavor that they deserve to be sipped and savored as one would with Scotch or Cognac.
We chose bottles from three styles: blanco (also referred to as silver), which is clear and typically unaged; reposado, which shows some golden color from being aged in oak barrels at least two months, but less than a year; and finally, the golden-hued añejo, aged one to three years. There are also joven (young) varieties (a blanco blended with some aged tequilas), flavored tequilas, and extra añejo, which as the name may suggest, is aged longer than the three years of an añejo.
Inspiro Luna Blanco
$52.99 at InspiroTequila.comAsombroso El Platino Silver
$54.95 at AsombrosoTequila.comGrand Mayan Reposado
$79.99 at TequilaMatchmaker.comTres Agaves Organic Reposado
From $25.99 at TresAgaves.comTromba Añejo
$55.99 at Liquorama.comMaster distiller and company founder Marco Cedano has more than four decades of experience in the tequila industry. He named his tequila for the cloudburst storms over the agave fields in the highlands. The añejo is aged in American white oak whiskey barrels for more than 20 months. Expect green apples, oak, and vanilla notes on first whiff, and the same plus caramelized agave on the palate. A very pleasant and approachable tequila.