The Top Ten Best Sipping Tequilas To Upgrade Your Home Bar

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner. During the annual celebration, it is estimated that American drinkers triple their consumption of tequila. And they’re already a drinking a lot to begin with—as much as 20 million 9-liter cases in 2019, alone according to the Distilled Spirits Council. Much of it, particularly at this time of year, will be enjoyed in cocktail form. Margaritas and palomas are perennial standbys. They are classics for a reason: they’re delicious and refreshing. There’s plenty of fantastic spirits that will build great ones, typically blancos and reposados. But the highest end bottles of agave spirit are best enjoyed on their own, sipped neat out of shiny tumblers. If you’re here to drink quality over quantity, you’ve clicked on the right link. Here’s a look at some of the world’s best sipping tequilas.

^{Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia ($150)}

Maybe you associate Cuervo with spring breakers and college mixers. But this particular bottle is here to show you how misguided those stereotypes are. As the name implies, it was a liquid originally reserved for members of the family. Now they’re sharing it with the public, presented in an artfully rendered box (that changes annually). Under the wax dipped seal is one of the smoothest sipping tequilas on the market; offering rich oak and roasted nut tonalities in a sustained finish. A tequila for cognac drinkers.

^{Pasote Extra Añejo Tequila ($190)}

Four years of barrel aging in ex-bourbon oak lends this complex spirit all sorts of tropical top notes. Tropical fruit and nectar are evident in the nose, yielding to a bright citrusy spice on the tongue. Distilled in copper pot stills without any additives, it is an expression of pure joy from third generation master tequilero Felipe Camarena.

^{Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado ($56)}

Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado matures in a combination of American and French oak barrels. What results is an ideal balance of agave and oak. In it you’ll likely suss out notes of toasted brioche, and a hint of cinnamon spice.

^{Patrón Extra Añejo ($90)}

Patrón’s first new addition to its core range in 25 years, this amber-hued treasure is aged for over 36 months in a variety of cooperage. American, French, and Hungarian oak casks all lend a hand in shaping a liquid with ample aromas of dried fruit. In the finish is a pleasing vanilla spice to quietly contemplate between sips.

^{Gran Centenario Leyenda ($150)}

What of the newer entries to market, Leyenda hit shelves in late 2019. The ultra premium release is double distilled from some of the brand’s most prized agaves. Aged for upwards of four years in new American oak, it is then married with even older reserve stock, resulting in an elegant blend ripe with the unctuous sweetness of sultana, the sustained spice of clove, and even a touch of maple.

^{Tequila Herradura Selección Suprema ($350)}

“Selección Suprema is very special for many reasons,” says Ruben Aceves, Tequila Herradura Global Brand Ambassador. “It was the very first extra aged tequila ever, 100% agave, 100% natural, aged for 49 months in white American oak barrels made at our very own cooperage, with a beautiful intense amber color and notes such as vanilla, charred oak, butterscotch, orange zest cooked agave and hints of petal rose.”

_{Tequila Fortaleza Blanco Still Strength ($48)}

_{El Tesoro Reposado Tequila ($47)}

As you might suspect, fifth generation tequilero Carlos Camarena is a lover of agave. It’s not just that he’s been working with the plant his whole life. More specifically it’s the soul and character that it brings to the resulting beverage. So whenever he deploys cask aging he takes great care to ensure that the underlying vegetal notes are not overwhelmed by cooperage. His Reposado is a sterling example. Just the slightest whispers of vanilla and caramel to elongate agave earthiness anchoring each sip.

_{Tequila Ocho Extra Añejo Single Barrel ($375)}

One of the more evocative spirits you’ll ever encounter south of the border. A lush liquid bottled from a single barrel; distilled from agave grown on one estate. It sings with the terroir of Los Altos—the highlands of tequila, where soil and diurnal swings produce spirit that splits the difference between sweetness and acidity. Aged for 8 years and 8 months in oak, those underlying notes have been buttressed by butterscotch, salted caramel, and cacao. A difficult bottle to find, but an easy sip to savor.

^{Don Julio 1942 ($125)}

This ultra-premium añejo tequila is presented in a spindly bottle meant to evoke an actual agave leaf. What pours out is a mellow sipper that’s all about the caramel. A smooth sweetness rides along a medium body, with just a comforting nod to smoke worth considering as you swallow.