After various blind taste tests and rankings, we can say with absolute authority that the sweet spot for “good” tequila is around $40. Whether you’re looking for the ideal bottle for shots, a great foundation for your cocktails, or something worthy of the slow sip treatment, at this price point you can find a great bottle of tequila that fits your needs.
But just because that’s the sweet spot, doesn’t mean more expensive tequilas aren’t worth the price.
There is a reason hardcore tequila fans love these pricier bottles, and it’s not just about being snobby about an additive-free small-batch bottle over something mass-produced and more readily available. There is depth and nuance to these more expensive bottles that someone with a well-experienced palate can appreciate. But that has us wondering — how noticeable are these nuances?
So we put bottles that hover around our $40 sweet spot against some high-end bottles that cost double or more than double the price in a blind taste test. Will the expensive bottles outright crush the cheaper stuff? There is only one way to find out!
Methodology:
For this blind taste test, we wanted to keep the flavors as consistent as possible, so we limited our tasting pool to a single expression: blanco. Because blanco tequilas are un-aged, the higher price point is a little bit harder to stomach for some people, and we get that.
It’s easy to accept a higher price tag when you account for aging, but that’s not the case here, so does that high price tag on a blanco really make that much of a difference? Let’s find out together. Here is our tasting class, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Don Julio Blanco
- Nosotros Blanco
- Lunazul Humoso Blanco
- Alma De Jaguar Blanco
- Chrome Horse Society Blanco
- Valor Tequila Blanco
- Cazcanes Blanco No 9
- Cierto Reserve Blanco
We took these bottles, shuffled them around, and took a pour from each in an unmarked glass, jotting down my first impressions of each. Our top choice didn’t shock me, but the overall results did. Let’s get into it.
Part 1: The Affordable And Expensive Blanco Tequila Blind Taste Test
Taste 1:
Nose: Grassy and peppery on the nose. I’m getting a warm and inviting aroma from this one.
Palate: A mix of asparagus, refreshing spearmint and thyme. The herbal qualities really live on the tip of the tongue.
Finish: Floral and sweet with a juicy fruity finish.
Taste 2:
Nose: There is an addicting palpable sweetness on the nose. A nice balance of roasted agave and vanilla with just a hint of cinnamon.
Palate: Spiced chocolate and crispy green pepper. Vegetal and natural, I dig it.
Finish: The finish reminds me a bit of celery. It’s peppery but very crisp and refreshing. I’m also getting some citrus zest on the backend.
Taste 3:
Nose: The nose here is astounding. Compared to Taste 1 and 2 this one really comes alive with sweet floral notes and raw agave. I’m also getting a fruity sweetness here with a nose-tickling quality.
Palate: Rich caramelized agave leads the way, joined by a floral honey sweetness, some minerality with an interesting cheesy funk to it.
Finish: Creamy and smooth with a hint of pineapple, pepper, and a elegant spicy finish.
Taste 4:
Nose: There is a lot of warm agave and vanilla on the nose here, with a nice layer of cinnamon spice.
Palate: Surprisingly smokey! I’m getting a lot of cracked black pepper, tobacco leaf, and earthy minerality on the palate.
Finish: That pepper quality lives on the backend too with a surprisingly dry finish.
Taste 5:
Nose: Juicy and tropical with notes of pineapple, lime rind, and a hint of salt. Has a cocktail vibe to it, I can already tell this would make a great mixer.
Palate: Bright and citrusy with more of that pineapple juiciness mixed with roasted agave.
Finish: Highly peppery on the finish with a bit of minerality.
Taste 6:
Nose: Wow, a lot is going on here. I’m getting agave sweetness, warm chocolate tones, a bit of jasmine, vanilla, and marshmallow.
Palate: A nice mix of spices, heat, black pepper and roasted agave. There is a highly vegetal and earthy vibe here. A nice natural flavor.
Finish: Wonderfully buttery on the finish. It leaves your mouth watering for more as juicy citrus notes rest on the tongue.
Taste 7:
Nose: Rosemary leads the way with some citrus zest and wet earth. Seriously, this stuff smells like a garden that has been hit with fresh rain. Very pleasant.
Palate: Juicy agave sweetness with sea salt, rich earthy tones, and crushed black pepper.
Finish: Citrusy and bright on the backend with some vegetal pepperiness and strong minerality.
Taste 8:
Nose: I’m getting a mix of honey and nail polish. A bit nervous about this one closing the list.
Palate: Surprisingly smooth, especially given the nail polish aroma. I’m getting a lot of vegetal notes with a big dose of smoke.
Finish: Citrus and more smoke. Overall pretty good but flat in comparison to everything else we tasted today.
Part 2: The Affordable And Expensive Blanco Tequila Ranking
8. Lunazul — Primero Humoso Blanco (Taste 8)
ABV: 40%
Price: $35.99
The Tequila:
Coming in last place in today’s taste test is Lunazul’s Primero Humoso Blanco. The agave for this tequila is mesquite wood smoked, and you can really taste that smokiness here. Unfortunately, while that is interesting it wasn’t enough to win us over against the more expensive brands.
This tequila is made at NOM 1512, Tierra de Agaves, with agave cooked in an earthen pit (mezcal style), before being roller mill extracted and twice distilled in a stainless pot with copper coil.
The Bottom Line:
Smokey and interesting, but not interesting enough to compete with the brands twice the price. Still though, this is a very interesting bottle that can be used as a wonderfully nuanced base in any smokey cocktail recipe.
7. Nosotros Tequila Blanco (Taste 1)
ABV: 40%
Price: $35.59
The Tequila:
I almost feel bad for ranking this tequila so low because for the price, you get a lot of great quality here, and it tastes great! But this is the way the cards fell. This additive-free tequila is produced at NOM 1438, Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, from a mix of lowland and highland agave.
It is an award-winning tequila, garnering Double Gold recognition from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The Bottom Line:
A wonderful additive-free tequila with a grassy vibe and juicy fruity finish. But there are better-tasting bottles here.
6. Chrome Horse Society Blanco (Taste 4)
ABV: 40%
Price: $75.49
The Tequila:
There isn’t a whole lot of information about Chrome Horse Society outside of its own website, which we don’t love. According to the site, this additive-free tequila (not confirmed by a third party) is made from blue weber agave harvested between 6-8 years.
We couldn’t find anything about the cooking process, other than the tequila is distilled through copper-plated column stills. Lack of transparency aside, the liquid tasted pretty good but wasn’t able to compete with a majority of the other bottles in this taste test.
The Bottom Line:
Peppery and dry, a very crisp blanco tequila. But for the price, we’d have higher expectations than what is on offer.
5. Alma del Jaguar Tequila Blanco (Taste 5)
ABV: 40%
Price: $47.99
The Tequila:
Produced at NOM 1414, Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados, where 38 other brands are produced, Alma del Jaguar is a fairly new brand on my radar. This is a brand that has consistently surprised me this year. This stuff is pretty great.
The agave here is cooked low and slow in stone ovens before being roller mill extracted, mixed with well water and fermented in open-air stainless steel tanks before being twice distilled through a copper pot. It is certified additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker.
The Bottom Line:
Peppery and mineral rich. A wonderful clean tasting blanco tequila.
4. Don Julio Blanco (Taste 2)
ABV: 40%
Price: $34.49
The Tequila:
Don Julio blanco is one of the most readily available tequilas on the market. This stuff is pretty much everywhere, and given just how great it tastes, that’s pretty amazing.
This tequila is made from 100% blue agave at NOM 1449, cooked in stone brick ovens, roller mill extracted, and fermented in stainless steel tanks.
The Bottom Line:
Always solid, Don Julio blanco is one of the best blanco tequilas you can find in its price range, and it holds up pretty well against bottles twice its price.
3. Cierto Reserve Collection Blanco (Taste 3)
ABV: 40%
Price: $129
The Tequila:
This was one of the biggest surprises in this blind taste test. Cierto Reserve is a premium tequila, coming in at over $100 for a single bottle. And yet, it didn’t top our ranking, which is an indication that price isn’t everything.
That isn’t to say this tequila isn’t wonderful. It’s straight-up amazing. Produced at NOM 1146, the legendary Tequileña, the agave here is cooked in a low-pressure autoclave with the juices extracted via a roller mill. After being mixed with spring water, the tequila is fermented in open-air stainless steel tanks and twice distiller through a copper pot.
The tequila is certified additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker.
The Bottom Line:
A fantastically creamy and smooth luxury tequila. A nice mix of juicy fruit tones and elegant spices.
2. Cazcanes Blanco No. 9 (Taste 6)
ABV: 50%
Price: $91.99
The Tequila:
Now that I know Taste 6 was Cazcanes Blanco No. 9, its highly vegetal flavor and mouth-watering buttery finish make sense. This is a high-proof tequila that smacks your palate with flavor.
It is produced at NOM 1614, Tequilera Tap, from agave that is cooked in a low pressure autoclave, roller mill extracted, and mixed with natural spring water. It is then fermented in stainless steel tanks and twice distilled through a stainless pot with a copper coil.
It is certified additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker.
The Bottom Line:
Highly vegetal, mineral-rich, and buttery, this is a fantastic high proof blanco tequila that deserves to be experienced.
1. Valor Spirits Blanco (Taste 7)
ABV: 42%
Price: $78.99
The Tequila:
Valor has proven itself to be one of my favorite tequilas this year, so it comes as no surprise to see it place so highly in this blind taste test. This additive-free tequila is produced at NOM 1599, Familia Landeros, from agave cooked in a low-pressure autoclave, roller mill extracted, mixed with well water, and twice distilled through a stainless steel pot.
From nose to palate, to finish, this one made an impression and took me on a journey. That’s what I look for in a great tequila.
The Bottom Line:
Valor offers a truly wonderful slow-sipping experience. This is one of the finest blanco tequilas you’ll ever drink and was the obvious standout in this blind taste test.
The Big Takeaway
Our big takeaway from this blind taste test is that yes, the more expensive tequilas taste a bit better, but not always! The most surprising thing to note is that flavor and quality don’t always follow a parallel line with price.
Our favorite tequila of this blind taste test wasn’t the most expensive bottle, nor was it the second most expensive bottle. While the pricier bottles will offer a better experience, I’d say the experience offered by every bottle in this blind taste was worthy of revisiting. And that’s exciting for tequila fans of every budget.