An Easy Way For Beginners To Identify Quality Tequila

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If you're a margarita drinker, you may have noticed the shelves at your local bars looking increasingly full. The tequila market has exploded in recent years as Americans become increasingly acquainted with the traditional Mexican spirit. According to the Distilled Spirits Council, over 32.1 million 9-liter cases of tequila were sold in the U.S. in 2025, marking a 301-percent uptick since 2003. It's great news for the industry, but with so many bottles to choose from, it can be hard to figure out which ones to buy.

To help, Tasting Table talked to Katie Stryjewski, the cocktail blogger behind Garnish and author of "Cocktails, Mocktails, and Garnishes from the Garden," about the best ways to identify quality tequila, and she said the first thing to do is read the label messaging. "Look for tequila that is 100% agave and contains no additives," she said. "High-quality tequilas are made without additives, so no artificial flavors or sweeteners."

What you really want to avoid is the word "mixto," as this means the tequila could contain up to 49% cane sugar, dextrose, or corn syrup. These additives not only mask the flavor of the agave, but they also lead to harsher hangovers. Additionally, Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council requires producers to print a NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana) number on every bottle to identify the distillery it came from. You can search this number online to learn more about the distillery and its products. If you can't find the number, it's probably a bad sign.

If you're at a bar, you may not be able to look at the bottle, but you can often distinguish a good tequila by sipping it. A high-quality one should taste pure and smooth and have an earthy, herbaceous finish, while a cheaper one can burn your throat and leave a sticky residue on your lips. 

"If you're used to drinking the cheap stuff, the flavor of a really well-made tequila may seem more mellow and subtle at first," said Stryjewski. "Lower-quality tequilas are often sweeter, and aged bottles can be heavy on vanilla flavoring." You can tell a lot by the color of the spirit, too. Blanco tequila should look crystal clear, a lightly aged reposado should be the color of honey, and a high-quality anejo should have a warm amber glow. 

All of these can be great sipping tequilas for beginners. Stryjewski said, "If you want something light and bright, maybe served with a squeeze of lime, reach for a blanco. Reposado is barrel-aged for 2-12 months and will be closer to something like a whiskey in flavor, while still retaining a lot of that vegetal agave character. And añejo, which has been aged from 1-3 years, will have even softer flavors and take on even more of the oak and vanilla flavors of barrel aging." The best type of tequila for a cocktail tends to be reposado or blanco. Save that expensive anejo for special occasions. 

The price of tequila doesn't necessarily determine how good it is, but hand-picked agave does come at a higher price, which is why some bottles might be on the expensive side. Like most spirits, tequila that has been aged longer also tends to cost more; if it comes from a small, craft distillery without a lot of big machinery, there's a good chance that labor cost will impact the price too. If you're looking for some recommendations, we ranked 29 popular tequila brands from worst to best.

Fortaleza Tequila is known for using standard, centuries-old methods to create premium products, and Tequila Ocho is another well-regarded brand. Espolon is a great budget-friendly option, as are Milagro and Olmeco Altos. Stryjewski said, "If you want to try some tequilas that real tequila geeks consider the best, look for offerings from Fortaleza, Tequila Ocho, G4, El Tesoro, or Siete Leguas. To my knowledge, all of these are 100% blue weber agave and additive-free."

That said, a lower-quality tequila won't kill you. It's best to aim for the more natural stuff, but the perfect margarita is made with whatever tequila you like the most. "If you're enjoying what you're drinking, carry on! In moderation, of course," Stryjewski said. "At the end of the day, it's all a matter of personal preference."