Once maligned for its association with college-era Happy Hours and โmost alcoholic units delivered per litreโ, Tequila has shed that (unfairly acquired) reputation in recent years as โ intrepid drinkers discover more about this complex, delightful and quintessentially Mexican spirit.
Made exclusively in the central western state of Jalisco, weโve put together a list of the 17 best tequilas in Australia, that will give you a pretty robust snapshot of this nuanced world spirit right now.
RELATED: Knowledge Distilled โ The Difference Between Tequila And Mezcal
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The Very Best Tequilas To Buy Right Now
Patron El Cielo
As one of the latest premium Tequilas on the market, Patron El Cielo is an essential sip when youโre in need of a light, ultra-refined spirit: best served neat, or at a push, on the rocks with a citrus of your choosing.
The signature quadruple-distilled method, used in the making of this tequila, helps to unlock โthe natural sweetness and smoothnessโ of Blue Weber agave. Of superlative quality, Patron sources theirs from a single highly prized terroir in Jaliscoโs Los Altos region.
Soldada Tequila
Soldada Tequila is an intriguing offering: given that itโs an Aussie-owned spirits brand, exclusively utilising blue agave from Jalisco. In this case, the grass-like plants that Soldada favours grow in the nutrient-rich soil of a dormant volcano, and are processed the traditional way in brick ovens.
Soldadaโs entry-level โBlancoโ expression lends a nice edge to any number of Tequila-based drinks (e.g. the Paloma) although itโs versatile enough to work in a range of cocktail recipes.
Casa Don Ramon
For over 25 years, Casa Don Ramon has been working with top-quality agave fields and producing award-winning Tequila. Since its inception, the company has picked up some 40+ medals in international spirits competitions. The entire range uses the โAzul Tequilanaโ variety of agave, which is sourced in Jaliscoโs Los Altos region.
The biggest distinction is in the houseโs means of production. Here, the tequileros blast classical music during the fermentation process: reportedly helping to positively activate the yeast, before the addition of trioxygen (which, itโs asserted, helps to โsmoothenโ the distillateโs rawness).
El Tesoro
After nabbing multiple awards at the 2021 edition of the International Wine & Spirit Competition, El Tesoro is the latest darling in the premium tequila segment.
Still family-owned, and helmed by third-generation Master Distiller Carlos Camarena, El Tesoroโs most notable innovation is its pioneering use of Cognac casks during the maturation process.
The award-winning โParadisoโ โ awarded 98 points by the IWSC โ is the ultimate expression of the El Tesoro house style. Classified โExtra Aรฑejoโ, it is rested for a minimum of five years in ex-cognac casks: a technique that gives this Tequila its โbeautifully balancedโ flavour profile.
Patron Silver
Patron Silver is typically the first bottle that drinkersโ minds run to when they are thinking of up-scale tequila (with good availability) on the market. At any number of crafty cocktail bars throughout Australia, thereโs a solid bet that the Margarita youโre ordering has been built on the brandโs โSilverโ (a.k.a. blanco) tequila.
While this bottle is at its best in mixed beverages, itโs also perfectly acceptable to shoot it. A smooth mouthfeel and a great balance of flavour also make this a great candidate for the proverbial backbar: if making libations at home is your thing.
Soledad Tequila
Named for the English transliteration of โsolitude,โ the various Soledad tequilas are produced in the highlands of Mexico โ with due emphasis on craft and provenance.
The Soledad 8-Year-Old Extra Aรฑejo, for example, is made by harvesting the best agaves found across Ardandas (a locale in the Altos Sur part of Jalisco) which possess at least 8 years of maturity.
The result is an intensely flavourful tequila with a luxurious mouthfeel: ideal for neat sipping, or poured over a pristine ice block. Another signature is the Soledad Joven, which consists of blanco spirit blended alongside mature, 15-year-old tequila.
Arette
Made only from estate-grown Weber agave harvested on the outskirts of Jalisco, the Tequila Arette house style is typically brawny, full-bodied and reflective of the estateโs location at El Valle: a village pitched 1,552m above sea level.
Known among Tequila drinkers for its mixture of both traditional and modern production techniques, hero releases like the Gran Clase Extra Aรฑejo typify what makes Arette so special. This premium, single cask Tequila utilises raw spirit from El Llano, and is racked for three years in American oak.
On the nose, the Gran Clase offers a variety of buttery dessert notes one can expect from extended ageing in American white oak โ subverting the โmedley of well-balanced flavoursโ that are, in fact, what youโll be tasting the most of.
Clase Azul
Known for its distinctly shaped and intricately decorated bottles, Clase Azul is a common sight at high-end bars and restaurants across Australia.
Widely regarded as one of the forerunners of the premium agave spirit trend, itโs not unusual for the labelโs 1.75L โUltraโ bottling to fetch upwards of $3,500 (and thatโs if youโre lucky enough to find it at retail). Fortunately, the remainder of the range is slightly more approachable: with the Reposado bottling clocking in at around $350.
The brandโs Reposado expression is a great place to dive in: exhibiting the intensely woody, vanillin flavour of the houseโs blue agave. The hearts of the plant are slow-cooked in traditional stone ovens for 72 hours, before being fermented in a unique strain of yeast (developed by Clase Azul) prior to distillation.
Volcรกn De Mi Tierra
Literally translated as โVolcano of My Landโ, Volcรกn de mi Tierra is the ultra-premium tequila label from everybodyโs favourite luxury conglomerate, LVMH.
At the centre of its unique selling proposition is the terroir: the mi Tierra distillery sits in the lowlands of Jalisco, in the shadow of a dormant 9,646-foot volcano.
The distilleryโs signature offering is undoubtedly its โCristalinoโ โ Tequila that is first aged in American oak, before being charcoal filtered to remove any colour. The result is nothing if not subversive: mingling dried fruit and tobacco flavours with the visual clarity of a blanco tequila.
Fortaleza
For drinkers who prefer less wood influence in their Tequila, La Fortaleza is another Jalisco-based distillery that merits your attention. With its own plantations located at the estate of La Villa Sauza, the agave that goes into any Fortaleza bottling is characterised by rich minerality: as youโll see firsthand in bright, high-proof formulations like the โStill Strengthโ.
Bottled directly from Fortalezaโs copper stills (without any additional water) the โStill Strengthโ is a great lens on un-aged Tequila that is, despite the lack of oak, heavy on flavour.
Tertiary characteristics of oven-baked agave give way to richer undertones of butter, peppercorn and green olive โ meaning that, in an ideal world, you should nosing this in your best Old Fashioned glass.
Teremana Tequila
Among a handful of celebrity-backed tequila brands that weโre actually intrigued by, Dwayne โThe Rockโ Johnsonโs Teremana has been making waves with agave lovers thanks to its approachability and strong value proposition. Batch-stilled using 100% Blue Weber agave, the priciest expression from Teremana (the Aรฑejo) will set drinkers back $106.
Meanwhile, for those new to the category, the Blanco offers up clean crisp citrus notes and a well-rounded finish. From a spot of field testing in the Boss Hunting office, weโve found that the latter works particularly well in a Margarita.
Terralta
Making their agave spirit exclusively with deep-well water, Terralta is another label from iconic Master Distiller Felipe Camarena and the team at El Pandillo distillery.
Unlike sister label G4, the Terralta house style is generally regarded as being approachable: helped along by Los Altosโ high altitude and iron-oxide-rich soil.
With a pretty robust skew of mature and unaged styles, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Terralta. To start, weโd recommend adding a bottle of โ110 Proofโ to your collection. Bottled at 55% ABV, and fermented in stainless steel, this โnudeโ style shines a light on all the work Camarena is doing in the plantation and distillery.
Siete Leguas
Among a number of other accolades, Siete Leguas (โ7 leaguesโ) can lay claim to being one of the oldest Tequila distilleries in Mexico. Their aromatic, unwaveringly traditional spirits are a constant source of acclaim; made with classic Tequila production methods such as open-top fermentation and horse-drawn tahona (i.e. the apparatus used to squeeze liquid from agave fibres).
Custodians of the original Patron Tequila โ prior to the brandโs sale in 1989 โ Siete Leguas operated two distilleries in Jalisco at Fabrica el Centenario and the more modern site of La Vencedora. Both locations produce their own standalone agave spirits (made exclusively on highland plants) before being blended into expressions like the 40% ABV Reposado.
As with most premium Tequilas, this โrestedโ expression spends 8-10 months in casks: in this case, ex-Bourbon. With a moderately intense flavour and luxuriant mouthfeel, itโs best served neat โ offering green, slightly unripe fruit flavours and a vanillin finish.
Tequila Ocho
Helmed by Carlos Camarena, Tequila Ocho benefits from the influence of blue agave that has been grown in the highland terroir of Aranda. Made at the historic distillery La Altena โ an impressive 7,000 feet above sea level โ the Ocho range is a must for those who want a crash course in premium-grade Tequilas; not to mention โ a great place to start a budding collection.
Our advice is to take a run at the brandโs Reposado. Matured in ex-American whisky barrels (for the highly specific timeframe of 8 weeks and 8 days), the foundational spirit is made wholly on estate-grown blue agave โ deliciously sippable with a hint of peat.
Pasote
August Sebastianiโs Pasote label is another relative newcomer to the premium Tequila game, this time located at El Pandillo. In a similar vein to G4 and Terralta, Pasote employs a mixture of rain and spring water in the production of their Tequilas (with exact proportions hovering around the 60:40 ratio at most times).
The classic styles of Reposado, Aรฑejo, and Blanco are all accounted for; with the latter most assuredly standing out as Pasoteโs flagship expression. Expect clean and crisp flavours of just-cooked agave, followed by a light, peppery finish.
Cรณdigo 1530 Tequila
A passion project from โKing of Country Musicโ George Strait, Cรณdigo 1530 nabs a spot in our tequila-fueled buying guide despite its notorious pop culture connection.
Thatโs largely the result of the brandโs innovation in the production space. The agave hearts at the core of every Cรณdigo expression are harvested and roasted in trad Jaliscan fashion, but a portion is then reserved and aged for one month in Napa Valley red wine barrels.
The blanco expression is an excellent way to acquaint yourself with the Cรณdigo house style, before the addition of any wooden cask influences. Full of bright citrus aromas, the palate has a lot of character for an unaged tequila: offering a delicate smoothness, with plenty of mineral overtones.
Don Julio
The legendary Don Julio may be too obvious a choice when seeking out the best tequilas, but it wouldnโt be an exhaustive list of the best tequilas if we didnโt include it.
The legendary Jalisco distillery is as renowned as the product itself, with distillery tours there frequently touted as one of the most exciting things you can do while visiting.
As well-known as the brandโs blanco and reposado expressions are, the signature Don Julio bottle is undoubtedly its โ1942โ Aรฑejo. Described by boozehounds with the sort of vocabulary that was once reserved for premium whisky, this is a rich and complex agave distillate that is aged 24-30 months in small oak barrels.
1800 Tequila
Named for the first recorded year in which tequila was aged using wooden casks, โ1800โ is the high-end, 100% Weber agave imprint from the team behind Jose Cuervo.
An increasingly popular sight in clubs and high-end restaurants around the country, 1800โs silver and coconut-infused tequilas do most of the heavy lifting; though we at BH are very partial to its โCristalinoโ expression.
Along with charcoal filtration, which gives this tequila expression its trademark clarity, the new spirit is matured in multiple stages: first, in French and American oak barrels; then finished in port wine casks. Think the richness of an Aรฑejo, but the smoothness of a blanco.
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