Best tequila 2022: For margaritas, shots and cocktails

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 75cl
• Type: Blanco

With such gorgeous complexity wafting from the glass – floral, fruity top notes mingled in with classic agave, grass and a buttery undertone – we could sit sniffing this premium tequila all day long. You don’t make a drink this good by accident, and the mix of experience – owner Felipe J Camarena’s family has been producing tequila since the 1930s – and prime terroir, with agave sourced from the Jalisco highlands, have gone into making G4 our winner.

It’s an artisan tequila through and through. They make it using a blend of spring water and, interestingly, captured rainwater – talk about attention to detail – and employ a rather laborious, old-school method of processing the agave to ensure they have maximum influence over flavour. And as we’ve said, the care shows in the glass. With an incredibly smooth mouthfeel and a long, minerally, delicate finish, this is a blanco you can definitely drink straight, as well as mix into cocktails; there’s no place it won’t shine.

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Best: For whisky lovers

Rating: 9/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Añejo

With their rich caramel hues and aged oak character, añejo tequilas are often compared to whiskies – and this one really does fulfil the expectation, given it’s been rested for 14 months in ex-Speyside single malt Scotch casks. Those toasty, roasted and nutty notes from the barrel mingle gorgeously with the deep vegetal richness of agave, creating a smooth, sippable spirit with a rambling, complex and savoury finish.

It’s good value for an añejo – it’s not unusual to see these bottles at double this price – and we’re big fans of the fun, fresh artwork on the bottle. While Storywood is certainly delicious enough to drink on its own (and that’s how the creators suggest enjoying it), if you’re a cocktail fan we’d also give it a go in place of whiskey in a classic Old Fashioned.

Best: Bargain

Rating: 7/10

• ABV: 38%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Blanco

Cheap tequilas are typically cheap for a reason – many are, in fact, “tequila mixtos” which means that the blue agave base has been blended with other, less-costly fermentable sugars. In contrast, anything that states it’s 100 per cent blue agave on the label will be the pure, premium stuff – including the impressively affordable, crystal-clear El Jimador.

Citrussy, peppery notes lead to a gentle warmth on the palate; there’s not huge amounts of complexity, but nor should you expect it at sub-£20. A natural pick for when you’re mixing up batches of tequila cocktails with plenty of big flavours, for example, a Paloma, made with lime juice and grapefruit soda.

Best: Sipping blanco

Rating: 8/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Blanco

Given that this new-to-the-UK tequila brand was founded by a former Bacardi CEO, you’d expect the branding to be pretty on-point – and with its cool glass cork and powdery pink colourway, it certainly is that. But we all know that glossy branding only goes so far, so it’s a good thing that this artisan pour, crafted by “meastra tequilera” Ana Maria Romero in the Jalisco highlands, is clearly made with skill.

Mijenta is incredibly complex on the nose, with a richly savoury backbone of roasted agave intermingled with honey and spice. The creamy, rich and full-flavoured palate suits neat sipping best – a serve most often reserved for barrel-aged tequilas.

Best: For richer cocktails

Rating: 8/10

• ABV: 38%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Reposado

Tequilas labelled as reposado – which means, if your Spanish is rusty, “rested” – get their honeyed hue from time spent aging in oak barrels. The legal minimum is 60 days, but this affordable bottling is aged for much longer than that: a minimum of nine months.

The result? Golden, caramel flavours, with a gentle hint of dried fruit and spice – though, in true quality reposado fashion, there’s still plenty of enticing agave freshness, too. A great pick for richer tequila cocktails such as a Bloody Maria, the fiesta-ready cousin to our brunch-time favourite, the Bloody Mary.

Best: For T&Ts

Rating: 9/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Blanco

Launched out of London by two childhood friends, El Rayo is an interesting prospect: a modern tequila designed to be sipped with tonic, à la G&T styles. And you know what? It works. Tasted straight it was enjoyable, with vegetal, herbaceous notes on the nose and a subtle citrussy sweetness on the palate. But when mixed with tonic (for the record, we used London Essence) the drink really sparkled, with those lemon-lime notes really singing, and the savoury ones bringing in subtle complexity. If you’re feeling a bit over gin, we’ve just found your new summer aperitif – you can thank us later.

Best: For tequila sceptics

Rating: 7/10

• ABV: 35%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Añejos

It looks like a blanco, but it’s not. A relatively new category of tequila, cristalinos are añejos that have subsequently been filtered to remove their amber colour. This process also tends to remove some of that trademark agave character, and while die-hard fans of the spirit might take exception to that, there’s a whole lot of people out there who will love it: namely, anyone who isn’t a big fan of tequila in the first place. This smooth, easy-to-drink pour from the 1800 brand has sweet vanilla, coconut and almond notes, with some butter and pepper creeping in. Try drinking it over a giant ice cube.

Best: Classic reposado

Rating: 8/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Reposado

Aged for 11 months in American white oak, this reposado has been flying off shelves since the 1970s – it was the first commercial bottling of the style ever sold – and it remains popular for a reason. An enticing caramel hue; dried fruit and cooked agave nose; a fruit and vanilla palate with hints of butterscotch – it all comes together to make one serious crowd-pleasing pour. And like a good reposado should be, it’s incredibly versatile. Drink it simply over the rocks, if that’s your thing, or try it in place of rum, whisky or even cognac in your favourite brown spirit-based cocktails.

Best: Traditional blanco

Rating: 9/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 50cl
• Type: Blanco

There’s plenty of spicy, savoury character packed into this flavourful agave tequila – it just goes to show how complex a good blanco can be. Tapatio has been made using the same artisan methods since the 1930s, and that commitment to tradition might have something to do with all that richness. Green pepper, white pepper and sweet fruit on the nose, with a heavily spiced, savoury palate ending in a flash of roasted agave. You will either entirely love its bold intensity in your lime-drenched Margaritas or, if you’re tequila-shy, find it a bit too much. And as tequila lovers, we are firmly in the former camp.

Best: For sweet tooths

Rating: 7/10

• ABV: 38%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Añejo

The bottle is outrageous: topped with a giant silvery skull, and coddled in a leathery sleeve, it’s a love-it or hate-it kind of presentation. And when it comes to its liquid profile, this premium sipping tequila is no shrinking violet either. Rich chocolate, toffee and cinnamon spice on the nose are followed up with a syrupy-rich palate of brown sugar, pepper, coffee and vanilla. This is a sweeter, more contemporary style of tequila – it will appeal to bourbon and rum drinkers especially – but it’s a great (if pricey) gateway tipple if you’re still working out if this spirit is for you. Trying pairing it with a dessert for a sweet ending to a meal; a chocolatey coffee cake would be perfection.

Best: For summery drinking

Rating: 8/10

• ABV: 35%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Blanco

Now here’s a bit of an oddity: a blanco tequila that’s been rested for a month in Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels, imparting a blushing pink hue and a hint of fruity brightness. Tequila purists might baulk, but actually, it’s gorgeous to drink, especially in sultry summer; pour it over ice or mix with a splash of tonic and you’ve got agave’s answer to pink gin.

Don’t expect the ripe, overtly red fruit notes you’ll find in most pink gins though. The main effect you’re getting with Código rosa is a rounded mouthfeel, and gentle sweetness to balance out an underlying earthiness. Sublimely sippable.

Best: Low-key celeb tequila

Rating: 8/10

• ABV: 38%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Reposado

Celebrity-endorsed tequilas have become big business – it seems like everyone from George Clooney to Justin Timberlake have launched their own brands. Cleo Rocos, a comedian, is behind this floral, honeyed reposado, made from 100 per cent agave sourced from the Jalisco highlands. A single sniff brings to mind a bouquet of summer blooms; a buttery, smooth but still bright palate is rippled with rose. A natural pick when you’re mixing up a round of Palomas or Margaritas, especially given its fairly friendly price point.

Best: For Instagramming

Rating: 8/10

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 70cl
• Type: Blanco

With its slick, contemporary bottle and confident messaging – it claims that this is “tequila, but not as you know it” – this spirit feels as much like a lifestyle brand as it does a drink. But that’s not a knock, as the quality is obviously there too.

It’s made with 100 per cent blue agave, harvested at a fully mature nine years of age, and blended with volcanic spring water. That mature agave brings complexity to your glass, with rounded vegetal and honey notes mingling in with citrus. A clean, fresh palate has a gentle savouriness while ending with a touch of sweetness. Basically, like some other modern tequilas, it’s crying out to be mixed with tonic in a T&T. Bottoms up!