Top 10 best-value Tequilas
As the premiumisation trend takes hold, Tequila continues to gain favour as a refined sipping beverage among consumers. The Spirits Business presents 10 of the best-value bottlings on the market.
We present our top 10 best-value TequilasLast month, The Spirits Business held its annual Tequila Masters, where an experienced panel of judges uncovered and recognised some of the category’s best expressions available on the global market.
Never before have consumers had access to such a diverse selection of Tequila brands at all price points, and producers themselves are relentlessly striving for more in terms of quality and individuality. In particular, as consumer interest in provenance and artisanal production grows, the market welcomed an influx of terroir-focused expressions.
Looking across multiple categories, from Premium to Ultra Premium, Blanco to Mixto, with entrants from producers of all scales, the competition saw a number of Tequila brands awarded medals for their superior quality.
While the individual scores of each entrant are not disclosed, these are 10 of the highest ranking Master medalists recognised in the competition, listed in no particular order.
Click through the following pages to view the top 10 best-value Tequilas of 2017.
Corralejo 99.000 Horas Añejo Tequila
Price: approx £70
The only Ultra Premium Anejo to be awarded Gold in the Tequila Masters, Corralejo 99,000 Horas Tequila Añejo stood up to the judges’ high standards. The 100% blue agave Tequila was praised for its “clean nose” and “big explosion of flavour”. The liquid is rested in small (less than 200 litre) American oak barrels from Kentucky for 18 months, impressing judges with its “elegance” and “beautiful herbaceousness”.
El Mayor Tequila Extra Añejo
Price: approx US$110
The first Master medalist of this year’s Tequila Masters ticked all the judges’ boxes and was deemed as a “very well combined” Tequila with an “optimal mix” of sweet, herbal, oaky and fresh flavours. Aged in American white oak barrels for a minimum of three and a half years, El Mayor Tequila Extra Añejo is described on the nose as “dried fruit, caramel, dark chocolate, hazelnut and nutmeg”, with a “long, complex and elegant body” on the finish.
Sierra Milenario Tequila Extra Añejo
Olmeca Altos Plata
Price: approx £26
Moving in to the Super Premium Blanco flight, Olmeca Altos Premium secured a Master in the category and was unanimously loved by the judges for its “sweet and spicy” taste. Created in collaboration with Dre Masso and the late Henry Besant, Olmeca Altos Tequila was first launched in 2009 in select global markets. In 2012 the entire brand received a packaging revamp, including an easy-pouring bottle, wooden cap, and new design specifically created to convey the brand’s quality and provenance.
KAH Tequila Blanco
Price: approx £45
Praised for its floral aroma and elegant flavour of eucalyptus, which was “earthy and complex”, KAH Tequila Blanco was awarded Gold in the Ultra Premium Blanco round. It is presented in a white skull, inspired by the calaveras (sugar skulls) used in Day of the Dead rituals. KAH Tequila Blanco contains “intense sweet notes” of the cooked agave, followed by a spicy white peppery punch. It is silky and delicate, leaving a sachet of spices on the palate.
Sierra Tequila Milenario Reposado
Price: approx £60
The second Gold medalist in the Ultra Premium Reposado category is Sierra Milenario Tequila Reposado. The Tequila 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.
Olmeca Altos Añejo
Price: US$34.99
Claiming a coveted Gold in the Super Premium Anejo category for its “well-balanced structure” is Olmeca Altos Anejo. Launching in 2016, Olmeca Altos Tequila was initially created by late bartender Henry Besant and Dre Masso alongside master distiller Jesús Hernández. It is created using blue agave cooked at low temperatures and then crushed using a traditional Tahona wheel.
KAH Tequila Reposado
Price: approx £60
Aged for ten months in French limousine casks, where it acquires “subtle hints of vanilla and caramel”, this reposado was the second KAH Tequila to be recognised by judges. Bottled at the highest strength possible (55% abv) for Tequila, this Reposado offers flavours of coconut, vanilla, cooked agave, caramel and gentle savoury spiciness.
El Mayor Tequila Añejo
Price: approx US$40
The panel admired the “sweet grape notes” of Luxco’s El Mayor Tequila Añejo, awarding the expression a Gold medal in the Super Premium Añejo flight. To create the expression, 100% blue agave Tequila is aged in small charred white oak barrels for between 18 and 36 months.
Sierra Tequila Antiguo Plata
Price: approx £34
The Super Premium Blanco flight bestowed “sweet, creamy and herbaceous” Sierra Tequila Antiguo Plata with a Gold medal. The bottle depicts with the emblem of Tonatiuh, the Aztec god of the Sun, and is topped with a sombrero.
