Top 10 Tequilas for National Tequila Day

We make the process of buying a bottle to celebrate National Tequila Day tomorrow a little less daunting by rounding up the top 10 Tequilas recognised at our Tequila Masters 2014.

We roundup the top 10 Tequilas to celebrate National Tequila Day, based on our own award winners

Tequila can be a tricky spirits category to navigate for the uninitiated, who must decide between blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo, along with all of the premium to super-premium variations in between.

While some will be celebrating National Tequila Day tomorrow with their old favourites, this list of Tequila brands awarded during our Tequila Masters 2014 offers some quality alternatives.

The competition saw a broad spectrum of Tequilas entered for judging, many of which were 100% agave with a handful of mixtos thrown in.

Click through the following pages to discover the top 10 Tequilas to enjoy this National Tequila Day (24 July) based on the best master and gold award-winners of The Spirits Business’ Tequila Masters 2014.

If you’d like some recommendations on which watering holes are best to mark the occasion, check out our top 10 Tequila bars roundup.

Sierra Milenario Extra Añejo

Category: Extra Añejo Super Premium

Medal: Master

Extra Añejo Super Premium was a category that faired particularly well overall in The Tequila Masters 2014, scooping two Golds and a Master for Sierra Milenario Extra Añejo.

Double distilled and aged for three years in durmast oak casks, Sierra Milenario Tequila Extra Añejo’s offers flavours of caramel, tropical fruits and spices, which the brand attributes to the rich volcanic soil of Jalisco, Mexico.

Tequila Corralejo 99,000 Horas Añejo

Category: Añejo Premium

Medal: Gold

This 100% agave Tequila was awarded the most prestigious award in the Tequila Masters 2014, leaving the competition with a Master.

Double distilled using the traditional Corralejo Charente method of copper and column stills before being aged in single Kentucky oak barrels for 18 months, the limited edition makes for an exceptionally smooth Tequila, with hints of fruit and pepper.

Tequila Blu Reposado

Category: Reposado Premium

Medal: Gold

Made from 100% blue agave sourced from four different regions in Mexico, Tequila Blu Reposado is a hand crafted “with help from a volcano”, due to the spring water used in its creation that flows from the volcano, Tequila.

The honey juice of the agave plant is fermented and distilled twice before being rested in American oak barrels for six months, creating a “beautifully balanced reposado Tequila” with notes of honey and vanilla.

Bottled at 38% abv, Tequila Blu Reposado is perfect for sipping over ice or mixed in one of the brand’s signature cocktails, such as the Tequila Blu Passsionfruit Margarita.

Sierra Milenario Reposado

Category: Reposado Super Premium
Medal: Gold

This “smooth, sweet” Tequila from Sierra is double distilled and stored in oak casks for up to nine months, giving the liquid a warm colour and full palate full of sweet fruit, caramel and lightly spiced notes.

Sierra uses plants grown in the highlands of Jalisco at an altitude of 1,200 to 2,600 metres, before being transported to Destilerías Sierra to be cooked, fermented, distilled and rested.

“It is everything I expect from a Tequila,” said judge Emilie Campesato-Mouragne.

Arette Gran Clase Extra Añejo

Category: Extra Anejo Super Premium
Medal: Gold

A 100% blue agave Tequila created by the El Llano distillery that is rested for 36 months in American white oak barrels.

Bottles of Arette Gran Clase Extra Añejo are limited, and therefore hand-numbered and decorated by hand.

Created by the Orendain family, which has owned El Llano since the early 20th century, the Tequila has a vibrant amber colour with a sweet, oaked flavour.

Olmeca Altos Reposado 100% Agave Tequila

Category: Reposado Super Premium
Medal: Gold

Aged for 6-8 months in 200-litre ex-Bourbon casks, Olmeca Altos Reposado is a 100% agave Tequila produced using agave grown in the highlands.

Distilled by Destileria Colonial de Jalisco, the Tequila has a sweet, citrus flavour with notes of oak and fresh agave.

Bambarria Tequila Blanco 100% Agave

Category: Blanco Premium 
Medal: Gold

One for the blanco Tequila fans out there, Bambarria Tequila Blanco 100% Agave, owned by Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, has a pleasing hot, peppery taste derivative from the finest agave plants.

The variant can be enjoyed both as part of a cocktail or sipped neat.

Tequila Campo Azul Añejo

Category: Añejo Premium  
Medal: Gold

Produced by Productos Finos de Agave, the Tequila Campo Azul Añejo has been double distilled and aged for more than 12 months in white American oak.

The variant is described as suitable to discerning Tequila drinkers with a “demanding palate” due to its earthy notes and pine character.

The Anejo Premium category proved to be the most successful during the Tequila Masters, securing four medals in total.

Tequila Corralejo Gran Corralejo

Category: Añejo Super Premium  
Medal: Gold

Owned by Fraternity Spirits, Tequila Corralejo Gran Corralejo sits at the pinnacle of the Tequila Corralejo range as an exclusive variant from the Casa.

Aged for at least two years in French Limousin oak barrels, the bottling is described as having flavours of cinnamon, vanilla, orange and cocoa.

Sierra Antiguo Anejo

Category: Añejo premium  
Medal: Master

A third award-winning entry for Borco International, Sierra Antiguo Añejo was awarded a master by our judges, who described the variant as “evocative” with an “interesting nose” of vanilla and toffee.

Made from Agaves Tequilana Weber, the variant has been matured in small oak casks which give it a warm, golden colour and full-bodied yet mellow flavour.