The 15 Best Tequilas Under $100 To Try in 2021
Finding a top-quality bottle of tequila under the $100 mark is now a lot simpler in theory, yet a task made more difficult by the number of quality expressions now on offer.
Once upon a time, you may have found a few Anejo (aged) tequilas from the big brands at a $100 price point and not much else. In contemporary spirits, the traditional tequila expressions – Blanco, reposado, and Anejo – have been joined by interesting Joven, Cristalino, extra Anejo, and wilder mezcal agave spirits to consider.
The sweet spot between quality, everyday affordable tequila, and the more rarefied bottles like Clase Azul, is narrowing rapidly and becoming a battleground for tequila distilleries everywhere.
The following collection details the 15 best tequilas under $100 to try. You’ll find the big guns, craft producers, and innovative new bottlings to consider when making your next spirits purchase.
Best Buy
1. Casa Dragones Blanco
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Casa Dragones Blanco is a small batch, premium Blanco tequila made at the headwaters of the Volcano of Tequila and is pound for pound the best spirit of its kind in our $100 price bracket.
Made 100% from the blue Weber agave, Dragones features a unique distillation process resulting in a super smooth and crisp taste with hints of citrus, peppers, and cloves.
Dragones Blanco’s smoothness and rich flavor are at odds with many other silver or gold tequila expressions, making it perfect for every occasion, whether it’s a top-quality shot to get the night started, or a relaxing sipper over ice.
2. Patron Extra Anejo Tequila
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Patron Extra Añejo is a full-bodied and deeply flavored tequila aged for at least three years in both new and used small oak barrels.
The time spent aging results in a crisp, dark tequila featuring bold notes of sweetness and fruit accents that can only come with a long time resting the finest cooked agave.
This extra Anejo tequila offers the smoothness of roasted agave, with a lingering finish of oak and vanilla that have seeped in from the barrels at rest.
A great tequila for simple sipping, Patron Extra Anejo is becoming more popular for mixologists looking to craft premium cocktails or serve the finest mixed drink option.
3. Corralejo Anejo Tequila
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This Anejo tequila is excellent if you’re looking for agave spirits with personality and character at a lower price point than other aged tequila options on this list.
Corralejo Anejo is double distilled and aged for 12 months in charred American oak barrels, featuring hand-harvested estate-grown 100% blue weber agave.
Described by the brand as a “tequila to be passed around the dinner table, to share at a party, or to order a round at the bar,” Corralejo Anejo tequila is a great expression to introduce to those looking to move on from standard cheap tequila in favor of a more complex flavor.
4. Tequila Ocho Barrel Select Tropical
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This select barrel Tequila Ocho expression takes the beautiful Anejo tequila, aged for one year in American oak barrels, and finishes the liquid in rum casks from Fiji, Trinidad, and Grenada.
The resultant spirit is almost but not quite a naturally flavored tequila. It’s a heady mix of traditionally bright agave and oaky wood notes, topped off with the deep, rich sweetness of molasses and sugar from the rum cask finishing.
If you’re looking to impress the tequila aficionados in your life with a bottle out of the ordinary, purchasing a bottle of Tequila Ocho Barrel Select Tropical will be money well spent.
5. Herradurra Cristalino
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Herradura Ultra Cristalino Anejo delivers one of the smoothest tequila tastes at a quality price point for customers looking to mix the depth of flavor and taste of Anejo or Reposado with the crispness and heat of silver tequila.
It’s crafted from hand-harvested agave and then barrel-aged in American oak, before undergoing a charcoal filtering process that creates a clear finish agave spirit. On the palate, you will find subtle notes of cooked agave, caramel, vanilla, wood, honey, dried fruit, and toasted almonds.
This is a cool expression developing with the palate of every tequila connoisseur. With Cristalino becoming the new darling of tequila, finding the quality ones will set your liquor cabinet apart.
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6. Viva XXXII Extra Anejo Tequila
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If you are looking for a quintessentially aged tequila that rivals the best of American whiskey for flavor and complexity, you’ll find Viva XXXII Extra Anejo Tequila well worth trying out.
This Extra Añejo tequila is rested for a minimum of three years in American oak barrels before being bottled. The longer aging process creates beautifully deep fruit aromas, which combine with caramel, sandalwood, and honey accents on the tongue.
Viva XXXII is a tremendous option at the upper end of our $100 price spectrum and makes for an interesting, great-tasting tequila to make part of your home bar’s top-shelf.
7. Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Platino
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Reserva de la Familia Platino is an unaged tequila from bestseller Jose Cuervo. It provides your sipping with great balance and smoothness for a classic silver tequila.
Cuervo’s proprietary “Esencia de Agave” production method ensures the pure agave notes from the agave hearts which provides an “un-silver” level of intensity in aroma and flavor.
The notes of slow-cooked agave, pepper, and spice make it a good choice for your tequila glass, and a great silver tequila option for just about any use whether it’s a quality margarita cocktail, tropical fruit mixed drink, or round of shooters.
8. Cazadores Reposado Tequila
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The Cazadores distillery has been producing tequila since 1922 in Arandas, Jalisco.
Cazadores Reposado is a small batch spirit made from 100% blue agave. After the pinas are baked and the leaves are shredded, the agave is double-fermented and double-distilled, according to the original recipe of founder Don José Maria.
As a reposado, the tequila is aged in new oak casks prior to bottling to create notes of baked pear, cinnamon, and vanilla contrasted against oak and spicy white pepper.
According to the tasting notes, Cazadores Reposado is best served slightly chilled and enjoyed straight to best appreciate the tequila’s complexity.
9. Suave Tequila Joven
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Finding the sweet spot between the warmth and agave forward flavor of silver tequila, with the depth of oak barrel rested Reposado, has resulted in the rise of Joven tequila’s popularity.
This Joven tequila from Suave utilizes a blend of all of the brand’s expressions (Blanco, Lunar, Reposado, Añejo, Extra Añejo) to create a distinctive tequila experience.
The tasting notes feature vanilla, caramel, nutmeg, and almond aromas, contrasted against the woodiness of oak, and spice cinnamon and black pepper.
Suave Tequila Joven provides a unique, vibrant, and versatile tequila equally adept in a chilled glass of ice, or headlining a premium margarita or classic cocktail recipe.
10. Tequila Partida Blanco
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Tequila Partida Blanco is one of the smoothest tequila options at the perfect price point for the novice tequila drinker or the regular connoisseur, topping our list of best tequilas to try under $50.
The Partida tequila brand is known for taking its agave flavor seriously throughout the distillation process and it really shines through in this crisp and flavorful Blanco (the Partida Tequila Reposado is also a great expression).
The Partida distillery cooks its agave within 24 hours of harvest, giving the agave spirit a freshness and earthy tone other unaged tequila varieties struggle to match.
The nuanced Weber agave and citrus combine on the nose, while the palate offers tropical fruit, vanilla, grapefruit, and white pepper spice. It’s a favorite tequila for complete novices or veterans and will be on the shortlist as a favorite tequila for many cocktail makers and mixologists.
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11. Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila
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Arguably the most unique tequila on our list, Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila is another almost flavored tequila, thanks to the wonderful infusion of hibiscus flowers.
Forget the mixto tequila and cheap spirit, this is a real, pink-hued reposado tequila that’s been matured in American white oak barrels and then finished in port casks for a little extra dose of sweetness.
If you are looking for excitement and adventure in a truly 2021 tequila, then Gran Centenario Rosangel will provide you with something new.
12. Tequila Fortaleza Anejo
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Tequila Fortaleza is a small-batch, handcrafted tequila made with the same production methods used in the family operation from nearly 150 years ago.
Each agave is selected for ripeness before it’s harvested and steam-cooked in a small brick oven. From there, a two-ton tahona stone wheel slowly squeezes the juices from the agave.
When fermentation is complete, the distinctive tequila taste is achieved by being distilled twice in two very small, copper-pot stills.
Fortaleza Añejo is aged for 18 months in American Whiskey barrels to add different flavor elements to agave. Caramel, butterscotch, and dried fruit are all layered throughout the warm and welcoming tequila spirit.
A true sipping spirit for tequila aficionados, you’ll find Tequila Fortaleza Anejo well worth the investment when you reach for a special occasion or celebration bottle.
13. Casamigos Reposado Tequila
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Casamigos Reposado Tequila is distilled from blue agave plants from the Jalisco Highlands, the heartland of Mexican tequila. Each agave is hand-selected for flavor, then slow-cooked.
This Casamigos Tequila expression is aged for seven months in white oak barrels, which gives the reposado a chocolate woody taste, making it a great option for sipping or drinking neat.
The Casamigos reposado offers an aroma of vanilla, maple, spices, and peanut shells, with the customary tequila heat balanced by sweet tropical fruit and oak.
14. Don Julio 70
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Don Julio 70 Cristalino Tequila is the first clear Anejo tequila and a premium quality sip, redolent with notes of
Made with 100% Blue Weber Agave, Cristalino is aged in American white-oak barrels for 18 months and then charcoal filtered to make the final liquid a beautiful “claro” (clear).
As a claro Anejo, Don Julio Cristalino matches the crisp clarity of a premium Blanco or silver tequila with the maturation and flavor of a well-rested Anejo.
Don Julio 70 Cristalino is one for use in your best margarita or simple mixed drink and is certainly a classy tequila to impress your guests.
15. Olmeca Altos Tequila Plata
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Despite being one of the cheapest bottles on this list, Olmeca Altos is a tremendously well-rounded Blanco tequila.
Its warmth and clarity shine through, with a pleasant warmth carrying forward the 100% Blue Weber agave from the Los Altos Highlands.
A tremendous tequila for premium cocktail making on a budget, you’ll find Olmeca Altos handy for those lazy Sunday sessions that just need some tropical ice and fruit to keep you warm.
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