The World’s Top Tequilas According To The Beverage Testing Institute

Three Tequilas won Platinum Medal-Superlative, and 46 additional Tequilas won Gold Medal-Exceptional at the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) recent judging of Tequila. Two of the top Tequilas were extra añejo, and one is a blanco.

The top-ranked Tequila, scoring 98/100 points, is Tears of Llorona, Extra Añejo Tequila, 43% ABV, 750 ml.

Tears of Llorona stands out as a premium, extra añejo Tequila, meticulously crafted by the renowned Master Distiller Germán González. Its uniqueness lies in its aging process, where it is produced in small batches and aged for five years in a blend of Scotch, Sherry, and brandy barrels. This unique process contributes to its layered, nuanced, and complex flavor profile, setting it apart from other Tequilas in the market.

The Tequila has consistently been a medalist in international spirit competitions, a testament to its exceptional quality and craftsmanship. It is widely acknowledged as one of the top extra añejo Tequilas available today. This is a Tequila that couldn’t have existed 50 years ago, not only because the category of extra añejo was not officially created till 2006, but also because it represents an aroma and taste profile that was largely foreign to Tequila historically.

Tequila-producing families often kept stocks of ultra-aged Tequila for their own use, but traditionally, Tequila was a celebration of the unaged essence of agave. Its flavor profile was vegetative and herbal, layered with the sweetness of cooked agave piñas and fermentation-induced fruity notes.

The complex, layered flavor profile that extended aging in different casks creates was relatively unknown. The fact that these types of sophisticated, complex, layered Tequilas exist today is a testament to the creativity and innovation of Mexican Tequila producers and the influence that the American palate’s passion for brown spirits has exerted.

Tears of Llorona Tequila is an exceptionally rich and layered Tequila. On the nose, it presents aromas of dried fruits, dark chocolate, and a hint of well-seasoned oak. The palate is sophisticated and nuanced, featuring flavors of caramel, vanilla, roasted nuts, and a subtle smokiness from the barrel aging. The finish is long and smooth, with lingering notes of wood spices, cooked agave sweetness, and a hint of milk chocolate.

The BTI Judging Panel described the Tequila as featuring:

Aromas of chocolate covered orange peel, chipotle, and herbs sautéed in an iron skillet on the nose followed by flavors of smoky persimmon, red cherry, and medulla dates on the palate. A luxuriously aged example of agave that retains the base spirit and exemplifies the cask management that puts this in the pantheon of other finally aged spirits.

Also winning a Platinum medal with a score of 96/100 is Gran Centenario Leyenda, Extra Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml.

Gran Centenario Leyenda Extra Añejo Tequila is a premium expression from the Gran Centenario line. The brand was among the first to premiumize Tequila and is one of Mexico’s most respected producers. Lazaro Gallardo founded the company in 1857. Today, it is owned by the Beckmann family, which also controls Cuervo Tequila.

Gran Centenario Leyenda Extra Añejo Tequila presents a complex and layered tasting experience. It presents notes of caramel, vanilla, and dried fruits on the nose, accompanied by hints of chocolate and toasted oak. The palate is smooth and full-bodied with a distinctive mouth weight, featuring flavors of sweet, cooked agave, butterscotch, and dark chocolate, with subtle notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The finish is long, with lingering traces of well-seasoned oak, spice, and a touch of smoke.

The BTI Judging Panel described the Gran Centenario Tequila as presenting:

Aromas of butterscotch, honey caramelized banana, and violets. The palate features similar flavors along with notes of toasted oak, maduro tobacco, and Texas barbecue dry rub. The oak influence is bordering on whisky territory, but the agave spice is still there and would pair nicely with a ligero wrapper cigar or crossover to bourbon drinkers that like a sipper with a high rye, black pepper note.

Siempre, 2021 Exclusivo Edición Especial, Vivo Blanco Tequila Batch 01, 47.5% ABV, 750 ml also won a Platinum medal, with 96/100 points.

Historically, blanco Tequilas were bottled at 40% ABV for the American market and between 35% and 38% ABV for the Mexican market. In recent years, a trend has been toward premiumizing blanco Tequilas by increasing the ABV to bring out more flavor elements. A second feature of premiumization has been adopting the historical practice of cooking the agave in stone pits to introduce an element of smoke into the blanco Tequila; replicating the style of 19th century blanco Tequila.

Siempre 2021 Exclusivo Edición Especial Vivo Blanco Tequila Batch 01 is a special edition Tequila that highlights the pure and vibrant characteristics of 100% blue Weber agave. This higher ABV in the blanco Tequila emphasizes the fresh, unaged essence of the agave, offering a clean and expressive Tequila experience.

The blanco Tequila presents aromas of agave, citrus, and green herbs on the nose. The palate features flavors of sweet agave, lime zest, a hint of pepper, and a touch of spice. The mouthfeel is smooth and oily with a noticeable weight.

The BTI Judging Panel described the Tequila as featuring:

Aromas of soy sauce, sake, and grilled green apple. The palate features rice wine vinegar, junmai sake, and umami. With great depth of flavor and a little funk, this is a Tequila headed in the direction of Blanco Mezcal; not all those who wander are lost.

The Gold medalists are all worth trying. For detailed tasting notes, see the BTI website.

The top Blanco Tequilas are Wild Common, Blanco Tequila, 42% ABV, 750 ml; Siempre, 2024 Tequila Plata, Lote No. 3, 40% ABV; El Tesoro, Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Ancla, Blanco Tequila, Batch No.1, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Ollitas, Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Código, 1530 Blanco Tequila, 45% ABV, 750 ml; Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Plata Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Member’s Mark, Silver Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Alquimia, Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Bandero, Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Gonzalez, 1939 Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Lunazul, Primero Humoso Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Sapiens, Bebida de Sabios Ahumado Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Casa Azul, Blanco Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Patron, El Cielo Silver Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; 1800, Blanco Tequila, 40%, 750 ml and Los Rijos, Tequila Silver, 40% ABV, 750 ml.

Six reposado Tequilas took Gold medals in the BTI Judging, Wild Common, Reposado Tequila, 43% ABV, 750 ml; Patron, El Alto Reposado Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; El Tesoro, Reposado Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Casa Azul, Reposado Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Jose Cuervo, Tradicional Reposado Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml and Ollitas, Reposado Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml.

Winning Gold medals in the añejo Tequila category are El Tesoro Mundial Collection, Laphroaig Edition Añejo, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Tres Generaciones, 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition, Añejo Tequila, 45% ABV, 750 ml; El Tesoro Mundial Collection, Knob Creek Rye Edition, 40% ABV, 750 ml; El Bandido Yankee Tequila Company, Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; El Tesoro, Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Codigo, 1530, Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; 1800, Guachimonton Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Pantalones, Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; and Gran Centenario Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml.

Cask finishing, the practice of maturing a spirit in a cask that previously held other liquids, is not recognized as a separate category of Tequila. Currently these Tequilas are classified in accordance with their aging designation. However, the practice is growing in popularity among Tequila producers and is introducing a broader array of aromas and flavors into Tequila.

A total of five extra añejo Tequilas won Gold medals at the BTI 2024 judging: Alquimia Reserva De Oro XIV Cask Strength Extra Añejo, 50% ABV, 750 ml; 1800 Milenio, Extra Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Rodeo De Las Aguas, 5 Year, Extra Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; El Tesoro, Extra Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; and Alquimia Reserva de Don Adolfo VI, Extra Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml.

Cristalinos are aged Tequilas subjected to charcoal filtration to remove oak-induced color. The result is a Tequila that is clear like a blanco but retains the caramel and vanilla notes found in aged, especially extra-aged, Tequilas. Any wood-aged Tequila, from reposado to extra añejo, can be used as a base for a Cristalino. The Consejo Regulador de Tequila (CRT) does not yet recognize Cristalinos as a distinct Tequila category, although international spirit competitions are increasingly doing so.

Five Cristalino Tequilas won Gold medals at the 2024 BTI judging: Avion Reserva, Cristalino Añejo Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Cristalino Reposado Tequila, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Rodeo de las Aguas, Cristalino Añejo Tequila, Batch 01, 40% ABV, 750 ml; Gran Centenario, Cristalino Tequila Añejo, 40% ABV, 750 ml; and 1800, Cristalino Tequila Anejo, 40% ABV, 750 ml.

Flavored Tequilas are another rapidly growing category. Two flavored Tequilas won Gold medals at the 2024 BTI judging: Casa Maestri, Café Flavored Tequila, 35% ABV, 750 ml and 1800, Cucumber & Jalapeno Flavored Tequila, 35% ABV, 750 ml.

BTI reviews and scores, on a hundred-point scale, thousands of beverages each year. This activity makes it more like a conventional wine and spirits competition. The Chicago-based organization, however, plays a dual role in the beverage industry. It also functions as a consultancy that, in its own words, utilizes:

Exceptional methodology, proprietary tools, and decades of experience offer research, development, and marketing services that protect large investments, elevate brand reputations, optimize market reception, and engage consumers.

In the beverage industry, this dual role is unprecedented. BTI’s evaluations and advice are closely followed in the drinks industry by both global wine and spirit companies and by recently established craft spirit producers, as well as by consumers around the world.

This year’s judging from the Beverage Testing Institute produced an interesting mix of Tequilas, featuring both some rare, ultra-aged extra añejo Tequilas and a blanco Tequila. There is much to explore in BTI’s list of top Tequila medalists.

Salud!