Sorting through the options can be overwhelming, which is why we always opt to trust the experts. To get their take on a workhorse option, we asked bartenders to share with us their go-to tequilas.
The 12 finalists are tequilas that offer vibrant and varied aromas and flavors with good texture and a pleasing aftertaste.
Here's the reason for the añejo and extra añejo shortage that you probably didn't know was coming.
Tequila's success has created an enormous strain, imperiling the health and viability of the blue Weber agave on which tequila depends, as well as the farmers who grow it.
Lou cracks open one of the most rare and cherished tequilas made. Watch as he goes nuts tasting it.
In a "You Can't Take It With You" episode, Lou opens up a 70th Anniversary bottle of El Tesoro de Don Felipe Extra Añejo.
Lou Agave talks about why he likes El Tesoro products, including this añejo.
One hundred percent. The term seems straight forward enough. You see it listed on labels constantly. But in the case of 100 percent blue agave tequila, you shouldn’t be so sure.
Heads up! Lou says these bottles will be a collector's item soon. He explains why.
Blind Donkey San Diego, CA $30 Bottle almost full Champagne glass Preceded by El Tesoro Blanco The blanco is beautifully crafted, heavy on the agave and balanced between the spice with a floral, white pepper and slightly citrus aroma. I love tasting the evolution of the juice and decided to jump to the other end with El Tesoro’s legendary XA. On the aroma what is lost is any hint of agave or citrus. But what comes alive in your nose are distinct but moderate oak barrel notes. Butterscotch, cherry, and caramel are present, but don’t overwhelm the nose like some other (additive?) XAs. Both the blanco and XA are wonderfully balanced. You get no dominance or tidal wave of any single component and if you consider the evolution of this juice you can appreciate the fine barrel work used to lay the ground work for the XA. On the pallet the XA retains much of the pepper and a hint of the cooked agave present in the blanco. Of course, those notes are deeply embedded in the personality of the barrel. Surprisingly, I find the XA bolder and stronger than the blanco. Often times I feel the barrel course corrects the blanco, undercutting it’s punch. But relative to the XA, the blanco is more subtle and even than the XA. Ultimately the XA is a superbly crafted juice whose extraordinary profile emerges from a delicious blanco of the terrior and the perfectly aged barrel strategy of El Tesoro.