Getting into tequila might seem like a difficult task. The key for a tequila beginner is to be informed and understand exactly what you’re buying, as there are different classifications that a newbie needs to understand. It’s important to know what type of tequila you’re looking to start with.
Do you want a blanco for cocktails? A dual-purpose reposado for mixing and potentially sipping. Or possibly an añejo or extra Añejo for sipping neat or on the rocks. Richie Barrow, general manager and food & beverage director at Tribe Hotels Group in Nairobi, Kenya believes that going cheap isn’t a good idea.
“With any spirit, I would recommend that everyone starts with high quality and with a spirit that gives them a proper introduction to that particular category.”
Another key is to not get overwhelmed. Sure, there are different terms to distinguish the various ages, but there aren’t that many. Once you get the hang of them, it’s pretty easy to know exactly what you’ll find when you crack open a bottle. But as a beginner, you still likely want a little help. That’s why we asked a few well-known bartenders to tell us their picks for the best tequilas for those new to the spirit. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Siete Leguas Añejo
Alex Barbatsis, bar director at The Whistler in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $54
The Tequila:
Someone new to tequila would probably be comfortable starting with an añejo tequila since it’s been aged in barrels and has a bit of a softer edge with some sweeter tones. A great place to start is Siete Leguas Añejo which is aged 18 months in used American oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
This tequila has a great burst of agave flavor that’s supported by the sweet caramel tones from the oak.
Don Julio 70
Alli Torres, operating partner and head bartender at Freehold in Miami
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $65
The Tequila:
One of my personal favorites is Don Julio 70. This is especially true for a newcomer to tequila. Most novice drinkers prefer a soft, sweeter flavor profile and Don Julio nails this without additives. It’s also an approachable price tag for more luxury drinkers so it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser for the whole table.
Tasting Notes:
This cristalino tequila has notable flavors like cooked agave, vanilla, oak, and gentle spices. It’s a great introduction to the spirit. The primary flavors are what I equate to a gentle bedtime tea – vanilla, honey, and light oaky notes. Very soft and sippable.
Mayenda Blanco
Ena Kitanovikj, bartender at La Grande Boucherie in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $63
The Tequila:
Mayenda Tequila Blanco is rich, complex, and elegant sipping tequila. Crafted at Casa San Nicolas, using a pioneering process that adds two extra steps of craft and care to extract more flavors from the agave. They produce each small batch with the aim of capturing the aromatic, caramelized agave notes that are typically lost in the production process. The result is a unique, agave-forward sipping experience with new and unexplored flavors from the heart of the agave.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is Wildflower honey, cinnamon, and more subtle top notes of orange blossom and fresh grass. The palate has undertones of baking spices, fresh herbs, and pepper that weave their way through caramelized agave notes. Finishes with a lingering echo of citrus, honey, and baking spices.
Codigo 1530 Rosa
Federico Doldi, food & beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $60
The Tequila:
A beautiful tequila for a person who is new to the category is Codigo Rosa. Codigo 1530 Rosa is a Blanco Tequila that undergoes a brief one-month aging process in Cabernet French white oak barrels from California’s Napa Valley.
Tasting Notes:
This results in a delicate pink color and imparts subtle red wine-like flavors to the tequila. It offers aromas of agave, fruit, and pepper with a delicate floral taste.
Don Julio Reposado
Tracy Javier, lead mixologist at VUE Rooftop at Hotel Washington in Washington DC
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $49
The Tequila:
Blanco tequila is great for shots or cocktails but when trying to appreciate the flavor of tequila, Reposado is the way to go. Don Julio Reposado would be my choice. It’s aged for eight months in an American white-oak barrel.
Tasting Notes:
This gives it a golden color tasting of vanilla, butterscotch, and cooked agave. It has a nice complexity to it highlighting the classic flavors of a well-made tequila with just enough age that it’s approachable.
Lalo Blanco
Chris Cutjapan, general manager of Carbon Beach Club Restaurant in Malibu, California
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $44
The Tequila:
Lalo blanco is made by the original family that started Don Julio, who really maintains the integrity of the agave. You get to truly appreciate and taste the agave.
Tasting Notes:
It is wonderfully smooth, and tropical, with a hit of white pepper. It’s a great choice for drinkers new to the agave-based spirit.
Patron Reposado
Richie Barrow, general manager and food & beverage director at Tribe Hotels Group in Nairobi, Kenya
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $59
The Tequila:
Patron Reposado – The reason I would push people who are first trying tequila here for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, availability. Patron is on the back bar of a vast majority of bars. Nothing is worse for someone new to a spirit asking for that spirit and being told it’s not available. The next is that Patron as a brand works with 100% Blue Weber agave tequila. This means that the expression in their bottles is a 100% representation of tequila in its truest form without any additive or rounding off ingredients. The reason I have opted for the Reposado is that it’s a nice intro or halfway point between the two styles of tequila: blanco (or unaged tequila) and añejo (or aged).
Tasting Notes:
Reposado fits smack in the middle and has been in oak for about 4 months. On the nose, expect nutmeg and allspice, roasted agave, pepper and honey. The palate is vibrant with pineapple, apple, mild oak, and black pepper notes.
El Tesoro Reposado
Bradley Stephens, USBG bartender at Cereus PDX in Portland, Oregon
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $55
The Tequila:
A great starter tequila in my books is El Tesoro Reposado. With all the craziness surrounding the premium tequila world, it’s hard to keep up with what is the “good stuff.” El Tesoro is one of the real deal bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Its wild fermentation and copper pot-made juice is loaded with character with notes of black pepper and vanilla that go for days.
Arette Reposado
José Medina Camacho, co-owner and mixologist of Adiõs in Birmingham, Alabama
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $60
The Tequila:
I like to start people with a reposado or añejo. Arette Reposado to me is smooth and approachable. It gets its flavor from being rested in American oak barrels for six full months. It’s just enough to give it a well-rounded, sippable flavor.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of roasted agave, vanilla, and oak makes way for a palate of buttery caramel, vanilla beans, sweet agave, and gentle spices.
Casa Del Sol Añejo
Phil Castello, owner and bartender at The Side Lot in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $88
The Tequila:
Casa Del Sol Añejo, is very smooth on the palate with excellent dried fruit flavors. This complex, sweet-sipping tequila was matured for a full fourteen months in American oak barrels.
Tasting Notes:
Dried fruits, oak, vanilla, roasted agave, cacao, butterscotch, and light, wintry spices, this tequila has everything you could ask for in a gateway sipper.