The 10 Best Añejo Tequilas to Drink Now
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Although blancos offer the purest agave essences of unaged tequila, and reposados add a flavorful element accompanied with a touch of color as the result of the tequilas aging from two to 11 months in oak barrels, añejos up the ante—along with taste and price—by increasing the aging process from one to three years (anything beyond three years and it becomes an extra añejo).
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Interestingly, other than the fact that they must be made of oak and can hold no more than 600 liters, there are no other regulations governing the barrels used for this aging process. Although American oak ex-bourbon barrels have traditionally been the norm, today many distillers—motivated by increased demand and competition along with their own sense of innovation—are now producing añejo tequilas that have been aged in French, European or Japanese oak barrels. And sometimes they’re blending more than one type of cask-aged tequila in the final product. As a result, there is an endless variety of superb bottles from which to choose. So to make your life easier, we have narrowed the selection down to 10 of the very best añejo tequilas.
Our Best Añejo Tequila Picks
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Best Overall Añejo Tequila: Marqués de Casa Noble
Casa Noble’s Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo does things a little bit differently than most other maestro tequileros. For one thing, he only uses estate grown and certified organic agaves. He then distills his tequila three times, rather than the industry’s norm of double distillation. And finally, he ages his tequilas in new French oak barrels that he personally selects from the Allier region. After aging them for two years, they are toasted and then aged for an additional year. All of these labor-intensive efforts are personified in Marqués de Casa Noble, a meticulous blend of 12 extra añejos and nine añejos—21 different one- to five-year-old tequilas in all—to produce a rich and silky mouthfeel coated with candied agave, wet grass, peaches, vanilla, and roasted nuts with green olives trailing off into a lengthy finish. It’s definitely snifter-worthy.
Best Añejo Tequila for Margaritas: Tequila Herradura Añejo
Whether it’s served chilled and straight up, poured over rocks, or blended with ice as a slush (our least favorite method for enjoying ultra-premium tequilas), the best Margaritas are made with the best ingredients, and the noticeably herbal agaves, mingled with the floral spices of this añejo will add an increased depth of flavor to any Margarita. Crafted by Casa Herradura, which has been hand harvesting, distilling and estate bottling artisanal tequilas in the town of Amatitán, Jalisco since 1870, its añejo is aged in American white oak barrels for 25 months—more than twice a long as the industry standard. The result of all this extra care will be evident in the very first sip of any Margarita—no matter how you make it.
Best Craft Añejo Tequila: 1953 Tequila Añejo
The simplicity of this tequila’s numerical name belies its significant backstory, as it reflects the year women in Mexico finally achieved the right to vote. Inspired by this historic event, three friends—Shivam Mallick Shah, Lindsey Davis Stover, and Alison Kiehl Friedman—set out to create a tequila that honored that milestone. As one of the many steps in accomplishing their goal, they partnered with Adriana Lopez, owner of the Bonanza Distillery in Guadalajara, Mexico. This, in turn, brought in yet another woman with expertise, Rocio Rodriguez, as their master distiller. In addition, the Highland agaves used for 1953’s ultra-premium, additive free tequila are grown by four daughters on their family-owned farm. Aged for 15 months in ex-bourbon barrels, the añejo (the only version currently offered) pours from its elegant, pleated bottle with thick nuances of vanilla, caramel and marzipan.
Best Añejo for Sipping: Komos Añejo Reserva
If the elegantly elongated white ceramic handmade bottle doesn’t get your attention, the tequila inside certainly will. Agaves from both the highland and lowland regions of Jalisco are slow roasted, double distilled, naturally fermented, and then aged for a minimum of 12 months in French oak ex-wine barrels from Napa Valley and Sonoma, as well as American ex-bourbon barrels and sherry casks. These three individually aged añejos are blended and then aerated in amphorae to soften their sweet earthy flavors with fresh agave undertones. Smooth and buttery on the palate, with traces of chocolate, oak, and smoke in the lingering finish, it would be a crime to dilute this meticulously made tequila with anything, even ice.
Best High Proof Añejo Tequila: Dulce Vida 100 proof
Dulce Vida translates into “the sweet life,” and that’s what you’ll be experiencing with this 100 proof version of their añejo. Aged for over two years in ex-bourbon barrels, the añejo is layered with notes of fruit, vanilla, and baking spices, all cranked up a notch in the 100-proof offering. Swap out your gin for this bottle and make a Martini with a dash of pickle juice or in a Negroni.
Best Single Estate Añejo Tequila: Rancho La Gloria
Prior to 1938, no one had ever heard of a Margarita. But that was the year—according to one of many stories about the origin of this penultimate tequila cocktail—that Carlos “Danny” Herrera, owner of the Rancho La Gloria hotel and restaurant on the dusty road midway between Tijuana and Rosarito, created a drink for a former Ziegfeld Girl and wanna-be actress named Marjorie King, known locally as Margarita. She liked it, he named it, and rest, as they say, is history. Although the original Rancho La Gloria hotel is long gone, its name—and the legend—live on in this single-estate tequila (although for some reason, it doesn’t say “single-estate” on the bottle). This smooth-sipping añejo is barrel aged for 12 to 14 months in French and American oak barrels and then combined with older tequilas that have been aged for up to three years. The result is a honeyed-wood elixir with a long, toasted honey and marzipan finish. It’s a fitting tribute to an enduring legend that may or may not be true.
Best Organic Añejo Tequila: Solento Organic Añejo
Surfing filmmaker Taylor Steele wanted people to slow down, so that was his philosophy in naming and creating this 100 percent organic, additive-free, single estate, award-winning añejo. Aged for 18 months in American oak barrels and savored neat in a snifter, the flavor is soft and buttery with fruity overtones. Poured over ice, vegetal notes open up, along with touches of vanilla, maple, and a hint of smokiness. Bottled and labeled from recycled materials, for every Solento agave harvested, a new one is planted. Plus, the agave pulp remaining from each small batch of Solento is used by the third generation Montes family of distillers to compost the land of their farm in the Amatitán Valley in Jalisco, where this tequila is made. What’s not to like?
Best Añejo Tequila for Cocktails: Lobos 1707 Añejo
Blue Weber agaves grown in Los Altos de Jalisco are harvested when they have reached a minimum age of six years, which results in a solid boost of flavor in this all-natural añejo. Aged for 12 to 18 months in new, charred American white oak barrels, then finished in Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry wine casks using the Solera method, this tequila presents a slightly herbal and woody flavor profile, with seductive notes of ginger, walnuts, caramel, and vanilla. Try it in your next Paloma or Margarita.
Best Añejo Tequila Under $50: Gran Centenario
Still family-owned, this historic brand can trace its roots back to 1857, when a Mexican tavern owner named Lázaro Gallardo developed his proprietary Selección Suave system of blending recently rested tequilas with longer-aged reserves to bring out an overall enhanced smoothness. As a result, he subsequently became tequila’s first master distiller. Carrying his skills to another level, in 1895 he created Gran Centenario to herald the coming of the 20th century. Today this historic añejo is aged for approximately 16 months in new American white oak barrels, which impart a marshmallow-soft vanilla countenace intermingled with essenses of green oilves, lemons, toasted oak, and a long delicate finish.
Best Splurge Añejo Tequila: Don Ramón Limited Edition Swarovski Crystals
An elegantly shaped decanter containing an ultra-smooth añejo tequila makes for the perfect gift—especially if the recipient is yourself. The handsomely packaged bottle of Swarovski Crystal-encrusted Don Ramón añejo, aged for 12 months in American oak barrels, and renowned for its intertwining flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and fresh Highland agaves. But wait—there’s more! The gold-topped decanter containing this exceptional tequila is embellished with 178 individually hand-applied Swarovski crystals that match an accompanying Swarovski necklace with crystal pendant and complementary Swarovski crystal clasp earrings. It’s an elegant way to combine flavor and fashion for that special someone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Añejo Tequila
What is an añejo tequila?
Simply translated, añejo means “aged,” and in the case of añejo tequilas, we’re talking about barrel aging for a minimum of one to a maximum of three years, as specified by the CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila), the governmental agency that regulates tequila production. This extra oak barrel aging, over and above that of reposado tequilas, naturally intensifies—to various degrees—the flavor of the tequila and deepens its color, which can range from pale yellow to a medium amber hue, depending on the types of barrels used and the amount of time the spirit is allowed to age in them. With its deeper and more complex flavors, sometimes the agave nuances take a back seat to the more pronounced complexities of añejos, which in many cases start to approach the mouthfeel of a Cognac or blended Scotch.
How should you drink añejo tequila?
With any añejo, no matter its price, you’re automatically entering the realm of ultra-premium tequilas, a category in which the tequilero has taken the extra and more costly step of lengthier aging to bring out more of the spirit’s aromas and flavors. That in itself qualifies it for a little more scrutiny in nosing its bouquet and then slowly sipping it, to see what new essences you can discover. Most añejos are best appreciated neat, in a snifter, but there are others, as we noted above, that can also add a whole new dimension to mixed drinks. That’s why we recommend stocking more than one añejo in your home bar.
How does tequila differ from mezcal?
Both, by law, must be made in Mexico and distilled from roasted agaves, but tequila can only use the Blue Weber variety and must be distilled in the town of Tequila in Jalisco and four other specifically designated Mexican states: Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Also, the agaves are primarily steam-roasted in ovens. On the other hand, mezcal can be made in any of nine specified Mexican states, primarily in Oaxaca, but also in Durango, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, and Puebla. In addition, mezcal is typically made from agaves that have been cooked by fire and heat in often covered significantly rock-lined pits, thus adding to its distinctive smoky flavor.
How did we choose the añejos on this list?
We start by “nosing” the tequila, pouring a small amount in a Glencairn tasting glass, just enough to fill its wide base, which narrows towards the top to concentrate the aromas. We also make note of the color—aging doesn’t always produce a dramatically darker color but it usually indicates a depth of taste. A good añejo can be pale gold and delicate or slightly amber and more forceful on the palate, but there should always be a varying degree of agave present. After all, isn’t that why we drink tequila?
Why should you trust us?
Richard Carleton Hacker has been writing about spirits, restaurants, wines and cigars for over 40 years and has written for Robb Report since 1995. His work has also appeared in numerous other lifestyle magazines, including Playboy, The Quarterly Review of Wines, Tasting Panel, and the Somm Journal. In addition, he served for 10 years as a judge and team captain for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. He has authored 11 books published in the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, including The Ultimate Cigar Book and The Connoisseurs Guide To Worldwide Spirits. He was knighted in Germany and is an honorary member of numerous whisky and wine societies, including the Scotch whisky industry’s exclusive Keeper of the Quaich honorary society (where he is one of fewer than 200 people worldwide to hold the coveted title of Master of the Quaich), and the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. He has traveled the world visiting countless distilleries in Scotland, France, and Italy and, of course, Mexico. His books on spirits and cigars are currently available on Amazon.com.
