Brian Nagele
When combined with lime and salt, tequila creates one of the most classic cocktails of all time: the margarita. But Tequilla can be an exceptional experience on its own, alive with a light sweetness and often with notes of vanilla and citrus.
While you can enjoy sipping on high-quality tequila from your local area, to get the best of the best, you’ll need to source tequila directly from Mexico.
To help you get your hands on traditional high-grade tequilas, I’ve gathered a list of the top nine Mexican-owned Tequila brands for you to try.
Whether you’re a tequila novice or a longtime tequila connoisseur, these are the best Mexican-owned tequilas that are sure to impress.
La Gritona
La Gritona Reposado Tequila is a premium, authentic tequila crafted with care by Melly Barajas and her all-women staff.
This tequila begins its life in the Jalisco highlands, where the iron-rich soil grows the best agave.
Once picked, the agave is steamed for 24 hours and left to rest for another 24 hours. The resulting liquid is then left to ferment.
The tequila is distilled twice and placed in American whiskey barrels, where it rests for another eight months.
La Gritona’s barrels are reused, so that color and taste aren’t leaked from the barrels themselves for a pure Blanco tequila.
La Gritona has a lightly sweet, herbaceous taste with a round finish. I recommend drinking it straight to appreciate the subtle flavor notes.
Casa Dragones
Casa Dragones is a small batch tequila company with a commitment to detail. Every bottle passing through their distillery is hand-signed and numbered.
The final product, a mix between un-aged silver tequila and aged tequila, is hand blended for their perfect signature taste.
The two parts of this blended tequila are kept in two separate barrels, specifically chosen for their wood type.
The barrels are toasted in the French style to bring a woody taste to the otherwise crisp tequila.
Once blended, Casa Dragones is sweet, with forward agave notes and warm woody notes from the toasted oak barrels.
Clase Azul
Clase Azul is a selection of artisanal tequilas made entirely from Blue Agave. Once harvested, the agave gets baked for 72 hours in stone ovens.
The long cooking process draws out the agave’s sweetness. After cooking, the agave is left to ferment and is later distilled twice.
I think what sets Clase Azul apart is their bottles. Every decanter is handcrafted from the ground up, from the ceramics to the painting, by a local group of artisans.
Every variety of tequila is designed to showcase a different aspect of Mexican culture, as seen in the stunning and intricate artwork on every bottle.
They have a few different varieties of tequila, but all are of the utmost quality with subtle notes. The Clase Azul Tequila Plata is my favorite, with its vanilla sweetness and an aroma of orange and lemongrass.
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is a distillery that stretches back five generations of families. The original tequila company was called La Perseverancia, started by the great-great-grandfather Don Cenobio.
Fortaleza still uses the same process started by Don Cenobio to craft their tequila. Their agave is grown for eight years before it’s harvested and cooked for 36 hours in a stone oven.
Then, the agave is fermented and distilled before being left to age in American oak barrels.
As they were since the beginning, the bottles are all made of hand-blown glass in the nearby town. There is a small bottling area on site where every bottle is filled by hand.
A popular option is the Tequila Fortaleza Reposado. This tequila has a leading agave and citrus flavor, with citrus and caramel aromas.
Tequila Tromba
Tromba is named for the rainstorms that can come down on Jalisco, the heartland of agave.
The creators of Tequila Tromba chose this name for the significance that such storms can cause in rejuvenating the land.
Tequila Tromba is a family legacy created by Marco Cedano and his son Rodrigo. The brand is adamant about respecting the past while embracing the possibilities of the present day.
This Mexican-owned tequila brand has three signature varieties of tequila:
- Blanco
- Reposado
- Añejo
The Reposado is my favorite variety. It’s aged for six months and carries the flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and brown sugar while giving a light citrus aroma.
Casa Noble Tequila
Casa Noble is considered to be the finest tequila in the world. This illustrious distinction is due in part to their seven-generation heritage and honoring a long tradition of exceptional tequila.
Casa Noble is also distinct because it’s certified organic.
Like many other tequila companies, Casa Noble comes in three varieties: Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. All of their tequila is aged in French oak, and it’s toasted rather than charred, so the tequila remains unblemished.
Another thing that sets Casa Noble apart is the length of its aging process. Take the Reposado, for example. Usually, this tequila is aged for no more than eight months.
Casa Noble ages theirs for nearly a year, drawing out as many flavors as possible. This includes flavors of agave and oak, with the scents of lemongrass and vanilla.
Casa Mexico Tequila
Casa Mexico is currently under the control of two famous partners, Mario Lopez, and Oscar De La Hoya.
The actor Mario Lopez is known for his hosting job on Access Hollywood, while Oscar De La Hoya was a gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games.
Lopez joined the company after having Casa Mexico as a part of his wedding. He fell in love with tequila and wanted to join the company.
Casa Mexico Reposado has a wonderfully warm flavor and golden color. It carries flavors of ginger and cinnamon while finishing with oak.
I find their origin story fascinating, and I love that their product is historically rich and celebrates Mexican traditions.
Camarena
Camarena is one of the best Mexican-owned tequila brands. Camarena has a unique, 250-year history that it celebrates with every bottle.
The first bottle was made in 1761 and carried a picture of a bell that sits in Arandas, Jalisco Mexico. That same bell is still on the bottles and ringing within the city.
In addition to the bell, there are small wolves on the bottle. This image represents the wolves that protect the agave fields.
Camarena comes in three varieties:
- Silver
- Reposado
- Añejo
The Reposado has flavor notes of agave and spice. This smooth tequila then leaves hints of vanilla and caramel on your tongue.
Tequila Espinoza
Espinoza is a micro-distillery that crafts small batches of tequila so they can make each bottle perfect.
They have a pure process, using only pure agave in a copper still to make artisanal batches.
After the tequila is distilled, it’s aged in French Limousin or Allier barrels.
They believe that using these over traditional whiskey barrels helps preserve the tequila’s agave flavor.
They have two varieties of Blanco, a reposado, and an ultra-aged tequila. The Reposado is aged for 11 months and develops flavors of oak, vanilla, and chocolate. The scent notes include citrus, honey, and Agave.
I love the complexity of their tequila and appreciate the brand’s attention to detail.
