Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › El Tesoro Blanco📌 PinEl Tesoro BlancoTahona-pressed, pot-distilled, family-run, basically the textbook for traditional tequila. El Tesoro Blanco tastes like the agave actually had to walk to the bottle. The tequila bartenders quietly love and that drinkers should learn the name of.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryLa Altena, ArandasOwnerBeam SuntoryFounded1937StyleBlanco (tahona, pot-distilled)Price band$50-60 (US) / AU$95-115Best mixerLime, salt, fresh fruitWhat it tastes likeLoud cooked agave, fresh herbs, citrus oil, white pepper, a slightly oily mouthfeel. The tahona stone press squeezes the cooked agave fibres in a way that leaves more character in the spirit.Drinks dense and characterful. This

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Del Maguey Vida📌 PinDel Maguey Vida MezcalThe mezcal that taught a generation of bartenders to put smoke in cocktails. Del Maguey Vida is the entry point: smoky, citrus-led, agave-bright, and priced so you can splash it into a Margarita without weeping. The bottle most home bars need next.ABV42%CountryMexicoRegionOaxaca (San Luis del Rio)OwnerPernod RicardFounded1995StyleEspadin mezcalPrice band$35-45 (US) / AU$70-85Best mixerLime, citrus, mezcal-tequila splitsWhat it tastes likeCampfire smoke, cooked agave, lime peel, white pepper, a touch of green herb. The smoke is medium, not aggressive. There's room for the agave underneath.Drinks at 42% with

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › 1800 Tequila Reposado📌 Pin1800 Tequila ReposadoThe chunky decanter bottle that defined a decade of Margaritas. Soft, sweet, easy, decanter-shaped, designed to sit on a home bar and not intimidate anyone. 1800 Reposado is more about consistency than character, and that's an honest pitch.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryCasa Cuervo, TequilaOwnerProximo SpiritsFounded1975StyleReposadoPrice band$30-40 (US) / AU$60-75Best mixerLime, agave, gingerWhat it tastes likeSoft cooked agave, light caramel, vanilla, gentle oak. Sweeter than Cazadores, less oak-driven than Herradura. Friendly, easy, predictable.Drinks like a tequila that doesn't want to argue with anything. Ideal for people who like tequila to be the

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Cazadores Reposado📌 PinCazadores ReposadoThe reposado most bars actually use. Two months in American oak, full of caramel and pepper, priced for Margaritas you make at home rather than the ones you order at a fancy bar. Cazadores is honest, dependable, and slightly underrated.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryCazadores, ArandasOwnerBacardiFounded1922StyleReposado (rested)Price band$25-30 (US) / AU$50-60Best mixerLime, ginger, citrusWhat it tastes likeCooked agave with caramel, vanilla, light oak, and a peppery finish. Two months resting in small American oak barrels softens the spirit but leaves enough agave punch to mix with.Drinks rounder than a blanco, drier than most Anejos.

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Herradura Reposado📌 PinHerradura ReposadoEleven months in American white oak. Almost a year, which is double the legal minimum. Herradura Reposado tastes more like a young anejo than a young reposado, full of caramel, oak, and cooked agave. The premium reposado that earns its keep at the dinner table.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryCasa Herradura, AmatitanOwnerBrown-FormanFounded1870StyleReposado (long-rested)Price band$45-55 (US) / AU$80-95Best mixerSweet vermouth, citrusWhat it tastes likeHeavy on caramel, vanilla, butter, oak. Cooked agave underneath rather than out front. The eleven-month rest pulls the spirit toward anejo territory, with a long round finish and a sweetness that reads

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Olmeca Altos Plata📌 PinOlmeca Altos PlataThe bartender bargain. Tahona-pressed, traditional, full of earthy agave character, and built specifically for the cocktail trade by two famous London bartenders. Olmeca Altos Plata is the unsung hero of the modern Margarita.ABV38%CountryMexicoDistilleryCasa Cuervo, ArandasOwnerPernod RicardFounded2009StyleBlanco (Plata)Price band$25-30 (US) / AU$55-65Best mixerLime, agave, grapefruitWhat it tastes likeEarthy cooked agave, fresh herbs, citrus zest, a long mineral finish. The tahona stone press leaves more of the agave fibre character in the spirit, which is exactly what you want for cocktails.38% ABV is technically lower than the standard 40,

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Espolon Blanco📌 PinEspolon BlancoThe smartest cheap tequila on the shelf. Loud agave, honest character, a rooster on the label, and a price tag that lets you actually batch a party. Espolon Blanco is the bottle every home bar should have.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryDestiladora San Nicolas, JaliscoOwnerCampari GroupFounded1998StyleBlancoPrice band$25-30 (US) / AU$55-65Best mixerLime, agave, sodaWhat it tastes likeReal cooked agave, warm pepper, a touch of citrus and a slightly herbal lift. Not as polished as Don Julio, not as soft as Casamigos, but loud and honest in the right ways.Drinks bigger than its price suggests. The

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Casamigos Blanco📌 PinCasamigos BlancoThe George Clooney bottle. Soft, sweet, vanilla-tinged, designed to be drunk by people who say they don't really like tequila. Casamigos Blanco is fine for sipping and lovely in a sweet Margarita. Purists roll their eyes; the rest of us order another.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryCasa Maestri, JaliscoOwnerDiageoFounded2013StyleBlancoPrice band$50-60 (US) / AU$95-110Best mixerPineapple, lime, agaveWhat it tastes likeSoft cooked agave with vanilla, a slight sweetness, almost no peppery bite. Casamigos rests for two months, longer than most blancos, which softens the spirit and pulls forward the gentler notes.Drinks like a halfway-house between blanco

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Don Julio Blanco📌 PinDon Julio BlancoThe bartender's blanco. Bright, peppery, agave-forward, just enough polish to shoot and just enough character to mix. Don Julio Blanco is what most pros pour when nobody is watching. Pricey, but every dollar lands.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryLa Primavera, JaliscoOwnerDiageoFounded1942StyleBlancoPrice band$50-60 (US) / AU$90-105Best mixerLime, soda, grapefruitWhat it tastes likeCooked agave up front, then fresh citrus, then a long peppery finish. Sweeter than Patron, drier than Casamigos, brighter than both. The kind of blanco that reminds you tequila comes from a plant.Drinks at 40% but feels lighter. Clean enough for shots,

Drink Lab › Bottle Library › Tequila › Patron Silver📌 PinPatron SilverThe bottle that turned tequila into a luxury category. Smooth, clean, distilled to a polite hush. Patron Silver is what you order when the bar is loud and you want to look like you know what you're doing. The cocktails it makes are reliable and the price tag is steep.ABV40%CountryMexicoDistilleryHacienda Patron, JaliscoOwnerBacardiFounded1989StyleBlanco (silver)Price band$50-60 (US) / AU$95-110Best mixerLime and triple secWhat it tastes likeSoft cooked agave, a touch of citrus zest, gentle pepper. Patron is a polished blanco, smoothed down so far that the agave can sound a bit