15 Best Sipping Tequilas To Try In 2022

If you've ever had a headache the morning after drinking tequila, you'll understand why spirits made for savoring can be a revolutionary experience. Not all tequilas are equal, and if you're a fan of this liquor, there are plenty of tequila styles and brands to explore. High-end tequilas should be crafted with elevated ingredients and served alone, like a cognac or scotch.

The Mexican government regulates tequila production to one of five Mexican states, including only spirits made with 100% blue Weber agave distilled with no more than 49% sugar. Any bottles not labeled as such should be considered a mixto, a cheaper variety due to the inclusion of additional sugars, coloring, and glycerin. Our selections include the traditional blanco, joven, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo styles. Several others range from unaged blanco styles to the extra, or ultra, category of añejo, designated in 2006 and aged a minimum of three years.

Our selections focus on underrated and standout tequila varieties designed to be relished as is — even if priced well enough that you won't feel guilty mixing a cocktail. Because of the strict distillation method, tequila served neat lacks carbohydrates, sugar, and fat while having 97 calories per 1.5 fluid ounces. You won't even need to reach for the lime or salt.

Casa Dragones Joven has set itself apart by producing premium, small-batch tequila blends of silver and extra-aged spirits. Joven is a category defined by the mix of unaged and aged tequila. The $300 price tag means you're going to want to savor the rich body with hints of vanilla, pear, and spice. We find the finish to be bright and clean. ​​The tasting notes also mention a bit of hazelnut. Adding to the allure, the small-batch Joven tequila bottles are hand engraved and made in quantities of only 500 to control quality. 

Casa Dragones is located in the city of San Miguel de Allende, a UNESCO World Heritage Site found in the central highlands of Mexico. La Casa Dragones is housed in what were the stables of the famed Dragones Cavalry — an influential force in the country's independence, according to the brand. Casa Dragones also sets itself apart for its founder Bertha Gonzalez Nieves, who was the first woman to be a certified Maestra Tequilera by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila. Try the brand's blanco if you prefer only unaged tequila, named by many as the top pick for "Best Blanco Tequila."

If you haven't heard of Cierto Tequila, you're going to want to pay attention. Cierto took home top prize at the World Tequila Awards in 2020 for its Reserve Collection Extra Añejo — in addition to taking top honor for its category. Forbes reports that judges called the reserve "classy and restrained" — who doesn't want that vibe from their tequila? The Reserve Collection Extra Añejo has also won international spirit awards in New York, San Diego, and Denver. The extra-aged tequila is said to offer a balance of wood from the barrel and "spirit on the tongue," but maintains a smooth and soft texture and finish.

The tequila maker isn't lacking in acclaim. Cierto Tequila as a brand claims to have won 473 medals in just three years. Cierto now declares a total of 506 awards to date. Master distillers at the La Tequileña distillery are fourth-and-fifth-generation agaveros, or agave growers, with their families cultivating the plant since the 1800s. The distillery is located in the town of Tequila, using only Highland plants that are twice filtered and oxygenated to acquire its flavor.

As a consistent staple in the tequila industry, Don Julio could be considered a workhorse in its own way. As a labor of love, Don Julio 1942 is aged for a minimum of two and a half years. This variety of the famous brand earned its moniker for the year that founder Don Julio González started making his spirits. The 1942 tequila is known for its tall, brown bottle, which might be confused for wine or champagne at first glance, along with its rich flavor of vanilla and oak. Don Julio 1942, along with other brands of aged tequila, have been so popular that pandemic shortages have been making the spirits scarce.

The Don Julio brand might be a giant in the tequila industry, but it appears to remember its roots. The Don Julio Fund pledged $1 million over four years to benefit the same communities that helped develop its label, as well as an offer of funding to entrepreneurs that carry on the spirit of the original Don Julio. The tequila is still produced in Atotonilco El Alto, the hometown of its founder, located in the Highlands of Jalisco. The fund will support entrepreneurs and nonprofits like No Us Without You and the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation.

Selecting Casa Noble for the list is a no-brainer, but choosing just one style of Casa Noble is a much harder task. The brand's blanco has led as the winner in a New York Time's taste test, while the añejo has been honored in other spirit competitions. The luxury site holds out for the Casa Noble Alta Belleza, sampled at the distillery and noted for its $1,200 per bottle price tag. You don't need to be a fine collector of spirits to enjoy a solid sipping tequila from the Casa Noble. InsideHook reports that a redesign in 2021 not only updated the bottle but also seems to have delivered a more refined taste than earlier tasting experiences by the site.

Official tasting notes from Casa Noble say that the añejo blend ages in new French oak for two years, and tastes of toasted oak, butterscotch, and spice. We also recommend the Casa Noble Reposado because it's made with 100% agave, made from organic agave, and fermented in French white oak barrels for almost one year (missing one day!). This reposado is almost an añejo, but you might notice a milk chocolate taste with a hint of sweetness and plenty of spice that induces cinnamon, allspice, and a pepper finish. The reliable flavor makes Casa Noble Reposado a solid sipping tequila. 

Tres Generaciones was established in 1973, though it is less known in the U.S. than its sister brands Sauza and Hornitos tequila. Tres Genraciones is owned by Beam Suntory Inc., a global spirits company named after its flagship bourbon brand Jim Beam and Japanese whisky brand Suntory. The company also makes plata, añejo, and reposado styles in addition to limited-edition series, such as Cenobio's Batch Plata. The unaged Batch Plata tequila takes its name and pays homage to the founder of the Sauza brand, Don Cenobio. The brand says its agave is hand-selected by a master distiller after six to eight years, and the agave is freshly pressed before cooking to eliminate bitterness while preserving the plant's flavor. The Tres Generaciones Plata is triple distilled with citrus and floral notes. The taste offers a bit of spice with a pepper finish.

Drink Hacker calls the Batch Plata "extremely smooth" with a light and balanced sweetness. If you can't find the limited-edition variety, Spirit Animal recommends the Tres Generaciones Añejo for its nuttiness and "vibrancy," even if the start doesn't present as well as some other styles by the brand. Añejo Cristalino is recommended for anyone who wants to try the new trend in tequila, even though we prefer some of the others on this list.

If you haven't tried Clase Azul, you might have at least noticed its white ceramic decanter, hand-painted with cobalt blue details at the bar. Each bottle is unique thanks to the individualized process, but in this case, what's inside is even more exciting. Clase Azul Reposado is considered a premium variety aged eight months in American whiskey casks. The whiskey barrel aging process creates hazelnut and vanilla flavors. You also might detect hints of clove, cinnamon, and an overall smooth character in the spirit.

Some might say that Clase Azul is the type of tequila you only share with close friends, thanks to its triple-digit price tag. However, we find the additional aging offers a smooth and sweet flavor and medium-bodied oak on the palate, even if the bottle is a pricey fit on your shelf at home. Other reviewers mention that this reposado is richer than most and driven by candied fruit, similar to a sherry-aged whiskey or cognac. Compared to the trend of other aged tequilas taking on the oakiness of scotch, Clase Azul is a fresh choice.   

Tears of Llorona attributes much of its success to a master distiller whose father was also a distiller that happened to make the first ultra-premium tequila imported to the United States, called Chicano. That reserve spirit was first shared with friends in 2012 and reached U.S. stores two years later. The Tears of Llorona distiller only harvests high-altitude blue agave during the late season in the state of Jalisco. The extra añejo taste reveals spice and complexity in the palate with a finish described as a "warm scarf on a cold day." The brand recommends skipping the ice to serve at room temperature and neat to discover the layers of flavor.

Bartender Jose De Jesus Medina Camacho told Naija Wine Lovers — which listed Tears of Llorona as one of the most underrated tequila brands — that it is unlike other tequilas because of "the complexity that deceives your mind for a minute." The spirit also mimics a scotch or a cognac because it is finished in a scotch barrel.