Lui's Recommended Tequilas

Plus: Jose Cuervo says "Either say our product is good or we'll beat you up"

AuthorAuthor

Luiz Fernandes & Cam Tieuli
June 28, 2024

Not all of these in the photo are recommendations lol.

People have been asking me for as long as I’ve been making videos about tequila to make a written list. I have always resisted because I think that I put much effort into the videos I make as well as the tequila space being ever changing that it wouldn’t have been worth it. Plus there are other creators who have put together incredible lists such as, Lucas Assis, and I always recommended people follow his in particular if they want a list. And I still think people should follow Lucas as well.

But the amount of messages i kept getting on a near daily basis finally made me put the list below together.

I have tasted through over 100 tequila brands and bottles for reviews on social media, and the following list includes the ones I usually always carry at my bar and restaurant and that I serve to my guests.

This list is also by no means an exhaustive list of all tequilas that are good, these are just my personal picks.

If you’d like to see more in-depth reviews on them all, I have this video and this video where I tasted through and ranked 60+ total tequilas. If you'd like a comprehensive database of tequilas, ratings, and rankings, visit Tequila Matchmaker.

**Prices on this list aren't absolute as prices vary from every town to state to country. These are purely for reference and to categorize them generally.

I will update this list periodically so make sure you come back and check it out frequently.

Arette $20-30, $50-90

Citrus and aromatic. Sip on it or put it in a cocktail you can't go wrong. Their higher end expressions are absolutely amazing as well.

Cimarron. $20-30

Robust and great spice notes. Stands up well in a cocktail.

Três Agaves $22-35

Pretty decent tequila but the expression I particularly love is their anejo which is my favorite anejo at that price point

El Tequileno $25-35, $40-60

Despite not being a 100% agave tequila, their Mixto where 49% comes from sugar cane alcohol, It's still additive free and a great tasting tequila. A good bang for your buck.

The rest of El Tequilenos lineup of expressions is amazing. Keep an eye out for their still strength coming soon.

Cascahuin $30-90

Highest quality, Incredible distillery. Everything from their budget options to their higher end stuff is incredible. You won't be disappointed.

Lalo $35-50

They currently only have a Blanco but what a Blanco it is. Versatile, and made by the grandson of the original Don Julio.

Suerte $35-65

Well made, great for cocktails robust and tasty. Their still strength is awesome.

Corrido $35-65

Same master distiller as Mijenta. I particularly enjoy their aged expressions.

Mijenta $45-65

Floral and delicious. Perfect in a cocktail and also perfect to sip on. Love this one.

Tequila Ocho $45-65

Single estate and made in one and made by an incredible master distiller, Carlos Camarena.

El Tesoro $60-90 

A brand with a ton of history and also distilled by Carlos Camarena. One of my favorites.

Tierra de Ensueño $40-50

Barrel rested in rare wheated bourbon barrels. Great mouth feel and minerally. Incredible tequila. Excited for what they have coming next.

Entremanos $50-60

A new entry for me, but really been enjoying this one lately. Love what they are doing.

Tequila Cabal $45-90

Despite the horse head bottles, the juice inside Is really tasty. Their anejo is a particular highlight for me.

Siete Leguas $45-70

An incredible distillery & family behind the brand. The Siete Décadas special edition is by far one of the best tequilas I've ever had.

Volcan de Mi Tierra $45-200

A wide range of expressions but all super high quality. Their distillery is immaculate and the juice inside the bottles as well.

Chamucos $45-75

A very funky tequila that has a unique flavor. Really fun.

G4 $50-90

Minerally and almost savory. Made at an exquisite distillery by a master of his craft, Felipe Camarena.

El Ateo $80-120

Velvety silky texture, great vegetal flavor. Really enjoyable.

Volans $50-90

Made at the same distillery as G4. Their still strength may be one of my favorites.

Don Fulano $50-99

Historic distillery and family behind this brand. Very incredibly delicious. Top tier.

Tequila Fortaleza $50-??

One of my absolute favorites. Seriously, If you can find this, I highly highly recommend it.

Lagrimas del Valle $60-80

Love what their doing with Vintages, similar to wine and terroir, and being single estate.

Quintaliza $70-80

A beautiful and delicious tequila rested in coffee barrels. A delightful coffee like finish.

ArteNOM $60-100

An incredible project making expressions from the best distilleries in Mexico. I have thoroughly enjoyed every one I've tried.

Montagave $70 

A super tasty Blanco rested in Bordeaux barrels for a little bit. Leading to a delicious flavor and cool color.

Cazcanes $80-120

A ton of cooked agave flavor throughout all of their expressions, incredible to sip on and some great chocolately notes in their aged expressions.

Cierto $90-200

If you want a bottle that is tall, beautiful and classy but the juice is also delicious. This may be the one.

Siempre VIVO $100-150

If you can find this special edition, it's def worth it IMO.

Jose Cuervo Released A Ridiculous Ad That Was So Bad It Was Hilarious

Screen shot from their latest video Ad

Normally, we aren’t in the habit of throwing shade at a specific tequila brand on this platform (Lui likes to do that on his Instagram & TikTok instead). There's just too much good stuff out there to waste time on them here. But then I saw Jose Cuervo's latest ad, and let me tell you, it was a doozy. So bad, it actually looped back around to hilarious. Like, "is this a joke?" kind of funny.

A bartender facing a UFC champ in a taste-test gone wrong. This video shows a scenario with a blind taste test where the Bartender has to taste through some tequilas and if they pick the wrong one they have to fight a UFC champion in the ring. If they pick the "right" one (surprise, it's Cuervo), and you avoid getting the shit beaten out of you plus you get to party with the champ. Got it.

Basically Cuervo got sick of people saying their tequila “Tasted like ass” (their words not ours) and so they tried to fight back with this.

I hate to say this, Cuervo, but the secret is out— your tequila isn’t good, and the people who consume your product don’t care in the slightest whether it “tastes like ass” or is actually good. People know what they’re getting when they go for a shot of Cuervo, and it’s usually not met with a ton of enthusiasm.

Imagine this: you're trying to convince someone your tequila is delicious. Do you A) craft a commercial showcasing its true to its roots taste and its honest process, or B) create a situation where you make people taste test tequilas and if they don’t pick your product and say that your product is actually good, you’ll have a UFC champ beat the living shit out of them?

Yeah, we're gonna have to go with A.

My favorite part though is the official Jose Cuervo account in the comments under the video replying to every one who comments that Jose is bad saying “You wanna go next?” basically telling people to put their money where they mouth is but like…. wtf are you doing?

Telling people to either say Jose Cuervo is good or well beat the shit out of you isn’t the flex they think it is.

Our Take: As funny and edgy as they tried to be with this ad, it shows that the big guys are actually getting pissed off and worried about people actually caring about their tequila tasting good. Jay Baer has been talking about it for a few months now about how Additive Free brands are growing while the big guys sales are down. I’ve never been sure where he’s gotten his data but with moves like this by Cuervo, it’s hard to argue against that.

Just another example of how the current state of tequila is straight up wild right now and traditional giants like Cuervo apparently losing their collective minds over it.

My Favorite Cocktail Ive Seen this Week

This week were gonna launch something new in the Newsletter, as a way to shine a light on other creators doing cool stuff I want to start sharing my favorite thing I’ve seen this week in this space.

Kaitlyn, A.K.A LikeableCocktails created a perfect summertime cocktail the Watermelon Hugo Spritz. I think its a perfect summertime cocktail and the way she explained it makes it super easy to recreate.

🍹In Other News:

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