When you get deep into high-quality additive-free tequila, a funny thing happens — you can forget that people who are serious about tequila are a very small subsection of tequila drinkers, overall. That leads you to recommend bottles that go beyond what your pals are seeking and into the aficionado “hard to even find” realms. So what about folks who just want a solid, non-burning sip from their grocer?
That’s where most tequila drinkers reside, after all. In the middle of the price bell curve looking for the widely available stuff.
To help guide you to the best of the best, we’re ranking some of the most popular and easiest-to-find bottles of tequila on store shelves today. To populate this list, I’ve scanned through multiple grocery liquor aisles making a note of the most common bottles. Because this is a list aimed at more casual tequila drinkers, I decided to focus on expressions you can find for under $50.
Here is how the most popular-meets-affordable brands rank!
10. Jose Cuervo Silver
ABV: 40%
Price: $19.99
The Tequila:
The first thing you need to know about Jose Cuervo is that it’s what is called a “mixto.” That means it’s not made from 100% blue agave, that’s part of the reason why it’s so cheap. If you’re mixing this up in a big batch frozen margarita maker and packing it with sugar and sweet mixers, you’re not going to really taste the harshness here. However, if you plan on taking shots with this one, or mixing it up in a traditional cocktail, it’s going to burn, and not in the good way those agave-forward bottles tend to.
Produced at NOM 1122, Casa Cuervo, the agave here goes through acid thermal hydrolysis cooking (which sounds delicious right?) and is extracted via a diffuser before being twice distilled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Harsh on the nose, I’m getting a heavy dose of kerosene, burnt plastic, and nail polish remover.
Palate: A lot of spice with white pepper. It has a cheap vodka-like burn to it.
Finish: The burn is intense, which makes it a bit hard to latch on to any flavors on the finish. I’m tasting a touch of agave under all the alcohol harshness, enough to know that this is tequila and not something else.
The Bottom Line:
The sort of frat-house tequila that can make you swear off the stuff forever. If you’re entertaining a big crowd and making a huge batch mixed drink that
gets the job done, this tequila works, but for anything else, you have other options out there for a few dollars more.
9. Hornitos — Plata
ABV: 40%
Price: $21.99
The Tequila:
I have a certain nostalgia in my heart for Hornitos Plata. It’s the first bottle of tequila that I was really into, the tequila that made me claim the spirit as my own. Having said that, I hadn’t had Hornitos Plata for years and when I tasted it again I was shocked at how far away it is from what I like about tequila.
This tequila is produced at NOM 1102, Tequila Sauza, and is made from agave that is cooked and extracted in an autoclave and diffuser. It is then fermented in stainless steel tanks, and twice distilled. At least it’s made from 100% blue Weber agave, which is a slight step up from what you’ll get from Cuervo silver.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A lot of ethanol on the nose, very chemical and harsh. With a big whiff, I can smell the slightest hint of lime.
Palate: A surprising amount of agave on the palate here, with a dusty black pepper flavor mixed with some salt.
Finish: A harsh medicinal burn followed by a vegetal quality.
The Bottom Line:
For the money, you can probably find something that tastes more like agave. This is harsh, smoother than Cuervo, but still very. metallic and chemical.
8. Cazadores Reposado
ABV: 40%
Price: $23.99
The Tequila:
As you might have noticed this list isn’t populated with too many reposado tequilas, so Cazadores is a good option if you want something a bit more mellow and smooth than what you’ll get out of a blanco. Cazadores is produced at NOM 1487, Bacardi Y Compañia, and is made from 100% blue Weber agave that is cooked and extracted via an autoclave and diffuser, fermented in stainless steel tanks to the sounds of classical music (a surprisingly prevalent trend in tequila for some reason) and twice distilled in a stainless pot with a copper coil.
Once distilled, the tequila is then rested for two months to a year in virgin American oak barrels to reach the reposado state.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Heavy wafts of vanilla and caramel over nail polish remover.
Palate: That vanilla from the nose is the primary note on the palate joined by caramel candies, a slight hint of pepper and cinnamon, and a
noticeable minerality.
Finish: Smooth oak on the finish with a bit more of that caramel.
The Bottom Line:
Smooth and vanilla-heavy. If you don’t like your tequila to burn, this is the bottle for you.
7. Patron Silver
ABV: 40%
Price: $41.99
The Tequila:
10 years ago, Patron was widely considered the high-end brand. Thankfully, those days are over. While Patron is good, it’s far from the greatest bottle you can find in this price range.
Patrón’s Silver is made with blue agave cooked in stone brick ovens and tahona extracted, fermented in wood fermentation tanks, and carbon filtered at NOM 1492, Patrón Spirits. There was a time when most of the general public considered Patrón to be top-shelf tequila, I think that’s down to its sweetness and drinkability.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: All over the place, I can smell some roasted agave, but there is a noticeable sweetness here as well, and a strong almost kerosene-like quality to it.
Palate: Silky with a mix of tart pineapple and juicy orange juice, with some bitter lettuce-like flavors keeping the sweetness from being too out of control.
Finish: Black pepper with an artificial lime finish. Goes down incredibly smooth.
The Bottom Line:
Sweet and easily drinkable, perhaps too much so. It disappears in a cocktail.
6. Milagro Reposado
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25.99
The Tequila:
There are a lot, and I mean a lot(emphasis necessary) of bottles of tequila that survive purely on a cool bottle design. Milagro, with its different colored bottles for different expressions, is one of the first and most affordable brands to put a lot of investment into bottle design. This stuff just looks cool, and when you compare it to similarly priced bottles, the design might just be enough to push you to buy this instead of something else.
I’m not mad at that, especially because Milagro, especially the reposado, is pretty damn solid.
Hailing from NOM 1559, Tequila Milagro, this brand stone cooks its agave before crushing it in a roller mill, ferments the juice in stainless steel tanks and twice distills through a stainless steel pot. The tequila is then aged in American white oak barrels for 2-4 months.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Agave and oak dominate, rich confection-like notes pull you in and a hint of cinnamon lurks underneath the layers.
Palate: Unfortunately that sweetness doesn’t completely translate to the flavor, you get the roasted agave flavor and an overpowering bit of oak, but there is an ethanol-like body that weighs the whole thing down.
Finish: It ends with a burn and a small vanilla lift with a hint of zesty citrus.
The Bottom Line:
Pleasant on the nose, a bit harsh on the palate, but with a nice finish that juggles sweet vanilla tones and some bright zestiness.
5. Teremana Reposado
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $32.99
The Tequila:
The Rock’s tequila! Celebrity tequilas in general get a lot of criticism in the tequila space, and there are some good reasons for that. One of those reasons though is usually the price point but I want to push back on that. Yes, celebrity tequilas tend to be a bit pricier than the other mass-market bottles, a bottle of Teremana Reposado is more than double the cost of Jose Cuervo. But, Teremana, and the other celebrity tequilas, are made better and usually follow a more traditional production process.
So that more expensive price is justified. Can you find other bottles that offer the same slow-cooked production method for cheaper? Absolutely, but not as easily. So don’t be quick to write these bottles off as celebrity vanity projects.
You might be surprised to learn that the Rock’s Teremana, is pretty damn good. The tequila is produced at NOM 1613, Destileria Teremana De Agave, where it is the only brand in production. What other bottle on this list can claim the same? The agave used in Teremana is cooked low and slow in stone/brick ovens for three days, roller mill extracted, proofed down with well water, and fermented in open-air stainless steel tanks before being twice distilled in copper pots.
The tequila is then aged for six months in used bourbon barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Pleasing butterscotch notes and roasted agave.
Palate: Floral honey with some sweet vanilla and browned butter.
Finish: A mix of orange zest, oak, and juicy melon.
The Bottom Line
Better than you expect, don’t sleep on it just because it has Dwayne Johnson’s name on it.
4. Casamigos — Tequila Blanco
ABV: 40%
Price: $43.99
The Tequila:
One of the best-selling and most visible tequila brands on the market right now, Casamigos is everywhere. It’s at restaurants, sporting events, your local bar — the people have spoken, they love Casamigos. George Clooney is one of the few celebrities who launched a tequila brand (now sold to Diageo) and doesn’t get a lot of criticism, probably because Casamigos is a pretty good bottle. It’s not a bar cart staple for me, but it has a people-pleasing flavor that is easy to like.
It’s produced at NOM 1609, part of Diageo, where the agave is cooked in stone brick ovens, roller mill extracted and fermented, and rested in stainless steel tanks. This tequila is made with deep well water which gives it a lot of minerality.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Black pepper, green grass and agave dominate the nose. There is a subtle harshness to the scent that makes my eyes water a bit, especially after the sweetness of the last pour.
Palate: Very nice on the palate, I’m tasting strong asparagus notes mixed with a zesty orange rind flavor, a bit of vanilla sweetness, and more black pepper.
Finish: I like the finish here, it’s harsh and spicy, but in the best way. It continues to burn on the tongue once you’re done with it. A cool sensation.
The Bottom Line:
Addictive, spikey, and agave-forward, while also having a lot of people-pleasing vanilla notes.
3. 818 — Tequila Blanco
ABV: 40%
Price: $29.99
The Tequila:
There isn’t a celebrity tequila brand that gets more flack than Kendall Jenner’s 818. I think what’s behind that is that the public is a bit exhausted with the Kardashian/Jenner family, and, well, sexism. I’ll spare you going to deep on this (if you’d like to read my full thoughts, do so here), but I will say that out of all the celebrity tequilas, 818 is by far the best.
Produced at NOM 1607, Grupo Solave, the agave here is cooked in stone brick ovens, tahona extracted, and fermented in stainless steel tanks.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Strong dessert vibes on the nose, I’m getting a lot of vanilla and roasted agave from this one. There is an apparent mellowness here, almost like an aged expression.
Palate: Sweet and super smooth. I’m tasting some fruity berry notes and a hint of cream. One of the least harsh unaged expressions I’ve ever tasted.
Finish: The vegetal notes come out at the aftertaste. It still goes down smooth and has a dessert-like quality to it, but the aftertaste brings forth vegetal flavors. A hint of green bell pepper and green grass.
The Bottom Line:
Yes, it’s sweet, it’s supremely smooth, and it’s easy to drink. All things a tequila snob would argue aren’t characteristic of this agave-forward spirit. But the subtle and shifting flavors make this a true joy to drink.
2. Espolòn — Tequila Blanco
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $27.99
The Tequila:
Well under $30, Espolòn is present at every market and liquor store I’ve ever been to, and there is a good reason for that. It’s cheap, and more than any other bottle on this list in this price range, it punches way above its weight. If you’re looking for an affordable bottle of tequila that tastes bright and agave-forward and is very drinkable and pleasing on the palate, you’re not going to find a better bottle than this.
The tequila is produced at NOM 1440, Campari Mexico, where it is one of three brands. The agave is cooked in an autoclave and roller mill extracted, fermented in stainless steel tanks, and twice distilled in a stainless pot with a copper coil.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A strong ethanol scent dominates with some zesty citrus notes lurking underneath the alcohol. Not the best nose.
Palate: Juicy pineapple with earthy black pepper qualities hover over a base of roasted agave. There is a slight vegetal quality here, but it leans more on tropical sweetness.
Finish: Buttery and vegetal, the finish here is surprisingly pleasant for its price point.
The Bottom Line:
The nose matches what you’d find in this price point, but the flavor is bright, zesty, juicy, and tropical, with a lot of agave character.
1. Don Julio Blanco
ABV: 40%
Price: $47.99
The Tequila:
Don Julio has a reputation as being a top-tier tequila brand, and while there are a lot of bottles in this price range that I would grab before this, most of those bottles are a bit harder to find. So when your options are limited, Don Julio’s blanco is a no-brainer choice and of the most popular brands, easily the best.
Don Julio’s blanco is made from 100% blue agave cooked in stone brick ovens, roller mill extracted, and fermented in stainless steel tanks at NOM 1449.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: A medley of roasted agave and vanilla bean on the nose, it almost has a slight baking spice quality to it. Very inviting, like fresh cookies out of the oven.
Palate: A warm chocolate quality begins our journey, it starts sweet and then quickly turns into a spicy burn with green tea and green pepper flavors dancing on the tongue.
Finish: Peppery celery and zesty citrus dominate the finish. Highly vegetal and almost juicy.
The Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a truly great bottle and the options at your local market are limited, there is a high chance Don Julio Blanco will be there and a definite chance it’ll be the best bottle in attendance.