School of Wine & Spirits
Tequila
268 reviews
Tequila Ocho Añejo 2019 Single Estate
Tequila Ocho
Tequila Ocho's single-estate model means every vintage reflects a specific rancho and harvest year. The 2019 añejo demonstrates how American white oak can enhance highland agave without erasing it. Where many añejos lean too heavily on barrel influence, this one maintains transparency — you taste the field and the cooperage in equal measure.
Tequila Ocho Single Estate Reposado Los Mangos 2020
Tequila Ocho
Ocho's single-estate model is tequila's most articulate argument for terroir. The Los Mangos expression channels the red clay and iron-rich soil of its specific plot with clarity that two months of barrel rest enhances without obscuring. This is a reposado for people who want to taste the field, not the furniture.
Espolòn Añejo Tequila
Espolòn
Espolòn's añejo over-delivers for its price. The oak influence adds depth without masking the agave, and the balance between sweet and spice makes it versatile across neat sipping and cocktail work. A smart entry point for anyone exploring aged tequilas.
Cascahuin Extra Añejo Gran Reserva
Cascahuin
Cascahuin is a family distillery that has operated in El Arenal since 1904, and this extra añejo shows generations of knowledge in how long to let agave and oak converse. Five years in barrel is the threshold where tequila can lose its identity to wood, but here the agave remains the protagonist. A serious sipping tequila that rewards contemplation.
Siete Leguas D'Antaño Extra Añejo
Siete Leguas
Siete Leguas has produced tequila since the 1950s, and D'Antaño demonstrates what happens when traditional methods meet extended aging without losing the agave's voice. Where many extra añejos taste more like brandy than tequila, this one remembers exactly what it is. The tahona and brick oven foundation keeps the cooked agave front and center.
Tequila Ocho Curado Espadín
Tequila Ocho
This is a fascinating bridge between the worlds of tequila and mezcal, executed with Ocho's trademark terroir focus. The espadín infusion doesn't turn this into a mezcal impersonation — it adds a smoky dimension while the highland agave character remains firmly in the driver's seat. A conversation starter with substance behind it.
Herradura Ultra Añejo Cristalino Tequila
Herradura
Cristalino tequilas polarize purists, but Herradura's version makes a compelling case for the category. The añejo base provides genuine depth — cooked agave and oak influence survive the charcoal filtration — while the clarity and smoothness open doors for sipping occasions where a heavy reposado might feel out of place. Style with substance.
Gran Centenario Plata Tequila
Gran Centenario
Gran Centenario Plata demonstrates that entry-level tequila need not sacrifice character. The selección suave process—a brief rest in new American oak—adds a whisper of complexity without masking the agave. This is an honest blanco that works beautifully in cocktails but merits straight sipping on its own.
Fuenteseca Cosecha 2020 Blanco
Fuenteseca
Enrique Fonseca's Cosecha series is built on the idea that agave harvested in a specific year has a unique terroir signature worth preserving. The 2020 Cosecha is bright and precise, showcasing how slow-roasted highland agave can produce a blanco of uncommon depth. No additives, no shortcuts—just agave, time, and fire.
ArteNOM Selección de 1549 Blanco
ArteNOM
ArteNOM's 1549 expression captures the highlands terroir in a way that feels unmanipulated and direct. This is agave-forward blanco with no need for embellishment, demonstrating what additive-free production and careful distillation can achieve at a fair price.
Pueblo Viejo Reposado Tequila
Pueblo Viejo
Pueblo Viejo Reposado is one of the best-kept secrets in the tequila world. At this price, it outperforms bottles costing three times as much. The highland agave sings clearly through the restrained oak influence, making it equally at home sipped neat or anchoring a cocktail. Essential shelf stock.
Don Julio 1942 Añejo
Don Julio
A polished, dessert-leaning añejo built for slow sipping. The oak influence is generous and the texture luxurious — purists may find it sweet, but as a milestone bottling it remains a reference point for the modern luxury añejo category.
Pueblo Viejo Añejo Tequila
Pueblo Viejo
Pueblo Viejo Añejo is the kind of bottle that quietly embarrasses tequilas three times its price. San Matías has been distilling since 1886, and that institutional knowledge shows in the balance here. If you want an everyday añejo that respects the agave without emptying your wallet, this is it.
Pueblo Viejo Blanco Tequila
Pueblo Viejo
Pueblo Viejo proves that integrity doesn't require a premium price tag. This is an honest, additive-free blanco that punches well above its weight class. It's the kind of tequila that makes you question what you're paying for elsewhere — direct, expressive, and built for both sipping and mixing.
El Tequileño Platinum
El Tequileño
A masterclass in blending — El Tequileño Platinum proves that joinery between young and rested tequila, done with restraint, can yield something greater than either part alone. A versatile, food-friendly pour that punches well above its price.
Gran Centenario Reposado
Gran Centenario
Gran Centenario Reposado sits in a sweet spot — accessible enough for mixing but with enough agave-forward character to sip thoughtfully. The selección suave process, where the distillate is briefly rested in new American oak before its standard reposado aging, gives it a polish that belies its price point. Excellent value.
LALO Blanco Tequila
LALO
A purist's blanco — unaged, additive-free, and built on disciplined choices. The tension between bright highland fruit and earthy mineral grip is exactly what makes it memorable.
Calle 23 Criollo Reposado Tequila
Calle 23
French-born chemist Sophie Decobecq brings scientific rigor to traditional tequila production, and this Criollo Reposado shows it. The heritage Criollo agave strain produces a distinctly different flavor profile from standard blue Weber, and the restrained aging lets that difference shine. A tequila for people who want to taste the plant.
Don Pilar Reposado Tequila
Don Pilar
Don Pilar's reposado demonstrates remarkable discipline in barrel aging — six months is enough to round the edges and add warmth without burying the agave. This is highland tequila that respects its raw material and rewards sipping neat. A well-executed bridge between blanco vibrancy and añejo depth.
Cimarrón Blanco Tequila
Cimarrón
Cimarrón is the tequila bartenders reach for when they want agave character without pretension or price gouging. It's certified additive-free, highlands-grown, and unapologetically straightforward. The rough edge here is the point: this is tequila that tastes like the plant it comes from, not the boardroom that approved it.
Don Pilar Añejo Tequila
Don Pilar
Don Pilar's Añejo delivers genuine agave character that has been shaped, not masked, by eighteen months in oak. This is añejo the way it should be done — the wood serves the spirit, not the other way around. At its price point, it competes well above its weight class, offering depth and balance that many pricier añejos struggle to achieve.
Arette Artesanal Suave Reposado
Arette
Arette's Artesanal Suave line represents their elevated expression, using a tahona-and-roller mill process that captures more agave complexity. This reposado finds the sweet spot between agave purity and oak influence. At its price, it outperforms bottles costing twice as much.
Fuenteseca Cosecha 2019 Blanco
Fuenteseca
Fuenteseca's vintage blancos are exercises in terroir expression, and the 2019 Cosecha is a study in mineral-fruit tension. It drinks more like a serious mezcal than a commercial tequila, rewarding patient sipping. For those who believe blanco tequila can be a contemplative spirit, this is your proof.
Terralta Blanco 80 Proof
Terralta
Terralta's standard-proof blanco is often overshadowed by its high-proof sibling, but this 80-proof expression is a study in highland elegance. Felipe Camarena's work at the family distillery in the highlands of Jalisco produces tequila with remarkable mineral clarity. At this accessible price, it's one of the best entry points into serious craft tequila.