Top 10 award-winning Tequilas and mezcals
There’s no denying the unstoppable force of agave spirits but how do you determine the Tequilas and mezcals worth dishing out for? We’ve picked out some of the top medal winners from our latest tasting.
Tequila as a category has rightfully cemented itself among the likes of other distinctive products such as Cognac and Scotch, bounded by strict regulations that maintain it must be made in Mexico from at least 51% Blue Weber agave.
While Tequila and fellow Mexican agave-based spirit mezcal have boomed in the US (collectively it is the third-biggest spirits segment by volume in the States), other markets are also turning their attention to agave including cocktail-focused cities within Europe, Asia and Australia. An array of dedicated agave bars have popped up in recent years showcasing how Tequila and mezcal are becoming the go-to spirits for cocktails.
But how can brands set themselves apart in an increasingly competitive category? Blind tastings like The Tequila & Mezcal Masters 2026 are devoted to putting a spotlight on the best agave spirits on the market.
Last month’s competition in London saw several panels – spanning spirits experts, writers and consultants – sip their way through categories such as añejo and reposado to multiple mezcal variants from Tobalá to Espadín.
Below, we’ve rounded up a selection of 10 medal winners, complete with judges’ tasting notes and production details.
Hacien Pineapple Tequila Blanco
Produced by family-run distillery Casa Maestri, Hacien Pineapple is described as the ‘world’s first’ pineapple-flavoured Tequila blanco made with 100% agave. The seven-year-old agave used to make the Tequila is cooked for two days and fermented for 48-60 hours, before being double distilled and infused with natural pineapple flavourings and agave syrup.
The 38% ABV product scored a Silver medal in this year’s Tequila & Mezcal Masters, praised by judges for its tinned pineapple aroma with “plenty of pepper”.
Del Maguey Tobalá
Mezcal producer Del Maguey celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and is one of the oldest brands in the category. Its Tobalá expression was bestowed with a Master medal after the panels commended its “hint of leather on the nose with green apple” and “gorgeously characterful palate” that brought “herbs, citrus, baked agave and smoke”.
According to Del Maguey, the Tobalá agave is a small “truffle-like treasure” that requires eight piñas to match the yield of one Espadín piña. The distillation process for Del Maguey Tobalá, made in the village of Santa María Albarradas in Oaxaca, includes a 30-day roast.
El Tequileño Sassenach Select
Every blind tasting in The Global Spirits Masters Competitions series has one expression that is deemed the cream of the crop by the expert judges. In this case, the Tequila Taste Master award was given to El Tequileño Sassenach Select, following a retaste of all the products that were deemed Master-worthy.
Master distiller Antonio Salles and Sassenach Spirits founder, actor Sam Heughan, joined forces to create this reposado Tequila. It was made with agave from the highlands of Jalisco and mineral-rich water from Volcán de Tequila, distilled in traditional copper pot stills, aged for two years in American oak barrels, and finished for four months in French oak barrels.
One judge was impressed by its “herbal notes tropical fruit and green chilli spice, plenty of savouriness, smoky agave and fresh green herbs”.
Desolas Mezcal Reposado
Master-winning Desolas Mezcal Reposado is the ‘first aged mezcal of its kind’. It was created from 100% Salmiana agave, cooked in above-ground hornos, and matured for approximately six months in 200-litre ex-Bourbon barrels at an elevation of around 4,000 feet.
Judges noted its “alluring picante nose” with hints of “lemon zest and bright salinity” and “raw mango dipped in chilli salt”.
Another panel member discovered “creamy cola, fresh and pickled jalapeños, grilled pepper salad, fresh herbaceousness and grilled agave”.
Herradura Legend
Brown-Forman’s Herradura Tequila brand scooped three Golds in our latest tasting, one of which went to its Legend bottling.
The 100% Blue Weber agave Tequila was matured for 14 months in grooved, seasoned and new oak barrels. According to the brand, the use of grooved and ungrooved barrels is uncommon in the Tequila industry.
It garnered high praise from judges who noted it was “rich, layered, complex and still with plenty of agave propping up the mid-palate”, along with hints of chai spice, eucalyptus, clove and roasted tropical fruits.
Del Suelo Espadín Mezcal
Produced at a palenque (distillery) in the village of San Luis del Río, Del Suelo mezcals undergo natural fermentation in open-air wooden vats with its range bottled in sustainable ‘wild glass’ that feature designs created by Oaxaca City artist Walter García Hernández.
But what’s inside the bottle was deemed to be of extremely high quality, with the brand’s blanco Espadín expression taking home the category’s top award – Mezcal Taste Master.
One judge noted: “Savoury, meaty, smoky – bold and flavoursome mezcal. The ABV is balanced really well at 45%, there’s a slight salinity in there. A brilliant blanco example.”
Pantalones Organic Tequila Reposado
Having a celebrity face behind a Tequila might be commonplace nowadays but how many of these brands can truly boast about the quality of their liquid? Matthew McConaughey’s Pantalones brand is among some of our certified medal winners this year, with its Reposado grabbing a Gold.
This 40% ABV 100% Blue Weber agave Tequila has been aged in American oak barrels and aged for nine months, resulting in notes of cooked agave, vanilla and oak.
Tsunami Mezcal
What makes Tsunami Mezcal unique is that it is made from a combination of two agave varieties: Espadín and Tobalá. The expression was designed to complement any soda, but it can also be consumed over ice.
Awarded a Silver medal, this blanco mezcal was enjoyed by judges for its “sweetness, savoury, meaty, dry spice” notes alongside a “peppery palate with juicy green fruit and agave syrup”.
Another judge was a fan of its “light caramelised agave nose with green wood, saline, and a touch of vinegar”, followed by rich cooked agave and big smoke.
Socorro Tequila Blanco
Socorro Tequila Blanco is crafted without additives from 100% Blue Weber agave grown in the Highlands of Jalisco. It is made from single-estate agave that is cooked in traditional brick ovens before undergoing open-air fermentation and double distillation.
The Silver medallist was lauded for being “bold and vegetal with green capsicum and green tomato on nose”, alongside flavours of white pepper and a creamy sweet palate.
Motel Mezcal
Motel Mezcal is made without additives in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, from 100% organic Espadín agave harvested from the López family plantation. The agave is grown for a minimum of eight years to reach maturity, then further ripened in the ground for up to two years using the capón method.
Once harvested, the agave hearts are roasted underground in a traditional pit oven lined with volcanic stones, crushed using a horse-drawn Chilean tahona, naturally fermented in open-air pine vats, and double distilled.
Scoring a Gold medal, judges described it as a “lovely mezcal” with “bold peppery spice and wisp of earthy smoke, chargrilled capsicum peppers, warming and peppery on palate”.
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