Transcription
I drank every single tequila out there, or at least every single tequila that I could get my hair. After I drank each of these Tequilas, I ranked them in a tier list from F all the way up to A. Right, let's get started. Am I supposed to do this all in one go? I have to get back to work.
All right, let's start off with one of my absolute favorites and one that I use every single day. That is my go-to, well, tequila for many, many reasons. It is confirmed additive-free, but the best part about it is its price. Both of these liters, yes, big old models, cost around anywhere between 20 and 25. You get an absolute bang for your buck. One of the main reasons why I love Símron is that even though it is an inexpensive tequila, it doesn't taste that way. It has a full, robust, full-bodied flavor to it and really great spice notes to it, and it really stands up incredibly well in a cocktail. This is one that I use literally every single day. Almost all of my tequila cocktails at my bar are built around either the repo or the blanco of this tequila because it's very cost-effective. Taking all that into consideration, I think we have to give this one a B.
All right, next up is Patron. I don't have a bottle of the regular Patron. I just have this one that was Asian Cherry cat Patron. I'm very divided on Patron. Patron is a brand that is super easy to find. It's one of the most popular brands on the planet. It's now owned by Bacardi, and they really were trailblazers and trendsetters in the tequila space. They really helped popularize tequila into this current tequila boom. But I'm a little divided on it. At regular Patron, it's okay. It'll do a job if it's the only thing available. I think it's fine. This Sherry Cask age one is, let's try it and then we'll talk about that and then we'll rank up. Definitely smells of Sherry. Also tastes a lot like Sherry. Sherry is a hard flavor. It's a little minerally. It's a little saline-like. It's a little salty. This one's actually quite enjoyable to sip on its own. I think it's kind of an innovative idea and I quite like that. But I had to rank the regular Patron, I would probably put Patron as a C. Uh, I don't love its flavor. It's not super robust. It kind of doesn't really taste too, too much, uh, like tequila, but it's not terrible. It's not bad. The Cherry Cask one is innovative, interesting idea, and I think it's, you know, helping kind of push tequila producers to try interesting things. I just, if you like Sherry, you'll probably enjoy this. I'm not the hugest fan of cherries, but let's go. Let's pretend this was just a regular Patron. So let's see. And we can't talk about Patron without talking about is a brand that actually was the original producer of what we know as Patron today. Uh, these guys up until, I think, if I'm not mistaken, 2002, used to produce the original Patron. That was when it was really great. They started becoming really popular, and then in 2002, they said they went their separate ways and they continue to produce their brand. It's absolutely incredible. It's such a great historic brand. They've been around for so, so, so many years. I'm not sure which one to try. Let's try the onion.
Wow, that just, that smells incredible. Easy. This is an easy one for me. They are genuinely one of my favorite brands on the planet. Cost-effective, not too expensive, amazing product in the bottle. Uh, you always get high quality from them. An easy A. Super easy A. The easiest A. And not recommended.
And moving on to the next Tequila, we have Casa Migos. This is one of the most popular brands of tequila on the planet. So many people are obsessed with this brand. Casa Migos was created by George Clooney and one of his rich buddies many years ago, and it then sold to Diageo for one billion dollars. They are also responsible for the current celebrity tequila boom that we are experiencing in the tequila industry at the moment. And I've had many thoughts on this tequila, as if you've watched this channel, you might know. But what about what's in the actual bottle? Well, all right, let's drink the reposado. Also, shout out to Doug from the Agave Social Club for this amazing blend care and tasting glass. Uh, it's really coming in handy today. On the nose, you get this really, uh, sweet aroma right off the bat. Smells kind of like a little bit like vanilla or like candy in a way. It just tastes, you know what it tastes like? It tastes like one of those like, like really sugary, like, um, caramel, like hard candies that just like, but not in a good way. It also reminds me like a vanilla Tootsie Roll. Again, not in a good way. I want to give it enough just for the harm that this is done to the tequila industry. It's made so many other celebrities' Tequilas pop up. The juice inside the bottle is not good. It's overly sugarified. It's fake tasting. It tastes like vanilla. It's just not what tequila is supposed to taste like. We're gonna put this firmly in F.
Next up is 818 by Kendall Jenner. She's one of the Kardashians, and uh, this has also been popping up everywhere. Let's taste it. Yay! We're gonna taste the blanco. Got a sweet aroma to it. Even the blanco is sweet. It doesn't taste like agave. It just sweet. Tastes really sweet and just like, uh, it just tastes like candy. It's just, if you like the Kardashians, if you like the celebrities, do whatever you want with your own money, but this is not really tequila. It's gross. Full of additives. Again, another solid F. Like, if I could give this a dumpster rating, even below F, I would do that. So yeah, rating for 818: dumpster.
Next up is Mienta. As we were talking about 818, everyone talks about, oh, you gotta support women-owned businesses. If you really want to support women in tequila, Mienta is a much better way to go than 818. The master distiller is Ana Maria Romero Mena, and she is a female master distiller, which in the tequila industry is quite rare. And she makes some absolutely kick-ass stuff, especially this, uh, brand right here. What I love about them is they are really focused on the environment, and they're trying to do everything the right way, and they are confirmed additive-free. And so great to taste. It's really nice and easy. It has these amazing spice notes to it, but it's a really good sipper. I could sip this. I could put it in a cocktail. It's robust enough to go in a cocktail, but not overpoweringly so. And, you know, comes in, if I'm not mistaken, anywhere between like 45 and 60, depending on where you get. I think I've actually seen it going for like 65. With all of that cons going into consideration, this is definitely a B category tequila in my opinion. Definitely wants to try the high B, B plus.
Cazadores is a brand that is relatively new and it is been making a lot of waves. It's become very, very popular. They have a couple of different expressions. A lot of it comes down to the ABV and the proof. We have a number seven, a number nine, and number ten Blanco. Those are all referring to their, uh, their proofs. And, you know, they have some like, for example, the number nine is their 50 ABV. They have number seven, which is 40 ABV. Their number ten is their still strength, which is about 55 ABV. And they also have the reposado. So this is their number seven Reposado, which is, uh, forty percent ABV, and it's a Reposado, uh, lightly rested. These guys are of course 100 confirmed additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker, and they have quickly become one of my favorite tequila brands to sip on and to enjoy. Oh, wait, I'm not supposed to give my thoughts quite yet. I can't really hide it with this one. This one's really, really good. Let's taste the reposado. What I love about them is that generally Cazadores is, it's been described as like an agave bomb. It's like a very in-your-face, robust agave flavor from the outset, from the very beginning. And the reposado is incredible. It gives you that amazing robust agave flavor with those great barrel notes, but the tequila is really the star of the show beautifully. It is one of my genuinely favorite brands on the planet. The only knock that I can give it, but I don't really want to call it a knock because I think that it is worth it because it is that good of a tequila, is its price point. It is a little bit more expensive than other brands. It comes in anywhere between like 90 and 130, depending on which bottle. And so it isn't the most cost-effective tequila, but for the quality that it is, I definitely in my opinion think it's worth it. For me, this is going to be our first entry into the A top tier category. Our first A.
All right, and moving on to now one of the most popular Tequilas on the planet for God knows what reason. Oh, and if it looks like my hair is different or it's a different day, it's not. What are you a cop? Leave me alone. Jose Cuervo. Uh, if you've been to college in the United States and you drank a tequila, I have a sneaking suspicion that you've had a run-in with this brand. Just the thought of it makes me shudder. But let's, uh, oh God, let's give it a taste. Oh, sorry, I'm not supposed to react beforehand. Oh, man. I'm, I'm sorry, Doug, for putting this in your tasting glass.
It, it tastes like cough medicine, and not in a good way. I don't even know if there is a good way to taste like cough medicine, but God, that's putrid. That is horrendous. That's a, that's a no-no. That's an F. That's a garbage. Absolute, absolute F.
And now let's move along to a Tequila that not many people know is actually made at the exact same place that the Jose Cuervo is made. Kevin Hart's. I've actually done a review on this recently on my channel, so I'm not going to spend too much time on my full thoughts. I'm just gonna taste it and give you a brief, but just so you know, same people who make this make this. Do with that what you will. Damn it. Overly sweet, sugarified. Tastes like melted cotton candy. Bottle's pretty deep. Yeah. D.
All right, and moving on to, uh, another brand that was actually distilled by someone I mentioned earlier. We're going to talk about Tequila Corralejo. Uh, I mentioned when we're talking about Mienta, uh, Ana Maria Romero Mena as the master distiller for that brand. She is also the master distiller for this brand. I have the blanco, the repo, and the añejo here. They're not super duper expensive. They're a relatively well-priced tequila. I believe the blanco comes in as as little as 45, and I think maybe it was like 60, 60 something. They're confirmed additive-free, and, uh, they've got this really cool kind of like musical, uh, theme going along. They have, you know, guitar picks on the on the bottles. Well, let's taste the añejo. Uh, it's nice and caramelly. You get that nice oaked flavor. The agave isn't as forward in the añejo. It kind of, the barrel kind of overtakes it a little bit. And so overall, what do I think? I think that Tequila Corralejo is a very good, serviceable option. Not bad. It's still by someone who knows a lot about tequila. I think that it just lacks a slight amount of flavor for my taste, and I'm gonna put it in the C range. And I don't want that to be like a disc at all. I think that it's nothing wrong with them. I don't want it to be sound like a disc. Like a C, I, C plus.
All right, talking about budget options, we have Tres Agaves. Uh, this bottle and brand is, I think for the price, hey, oh, wait, I'm sorry, one moment. Let's try it first. Right, so they are confirmed additive-free, and they are 100% organic. I have the the añejo here. Wow, pretty good amount of that like agave right in front. The barrel does give it a nice subtle caramelly flavor, but you still get a lot of that agave. But the thing that wins out for this entire brand for me is its price. It's such a great budget option. Uh, the blanco, you can get it, I believe, somewhere in the 20 dollar range. Um, I believe I paid about 36 or 40 dollars for this añejo. And so in terms of absolute value and bang for your buck, this agave, this is another one that I'm about to put up there with Símron. Um, though it's not as robust and in your face as Símron. So, you know, you're looking for a really great budget, the Tres Agaves is where you're at. This is a B plus, easy.
And the next particular we're going to talk about was Don Julio 1942, but I think I must have misplaced the bottle. Um, if you want to check out my whole thoughts on Don Julio's 1942, I have this whole other video you can check out right here. But my letter grid for Don Julio as a brand in total is probably going to be a solid D. The 1942, it's not that it tastes bad, it's that it doesn't taste like anything. It is devoid of flavor. It's ultra smooth, super smooth, but it doesn't really taste like tequila. So Don Julio, D.
But what I do have here is Lalo. And Lalo is a very interesting brand because, uh, Don Julio today is owned by Diageo, but the gentleman who created Lalo is actually the original Don Julio's grandson. And so this has this brain has a really interesting story. They're really trying to create tequila in that ancestral way and keep their family's legacy going, albeit with a different brand and a whole other vibe and a whole new style. And so Lalo, we're gonna give this one a taste. What I think is really cool is that they only make a blanco, or at least they only make a blanco for right now. Just a beautiful, absolutely beautiful bottle. I think it's gorgeous. I love the square shape. It looks very rustic. It's not too showy. It's a little bit minimalistic. It's something that's right up my alley. Taste. I love it because it's nice and bright. It's got these citrusy flavors to it. The finish on it gives you some of that spice. It's very robust and agave forward. It's clean. It's incredible. I can imagine this being incredible in a cocktail. I can imagine it being amazing to sip on on its own. Price point is good. It's 45 bucks, I think, roughly. I'm only going to give it a B plus because it doesn't like absolutely knock me over with flavor. It's very, very good. It's incredible. It's like top tier B plus, A minus. It's, it's just a very solid, incredible tequila. I love it. And it's like, you know, if you're making margaritas at home, go for this. This is, this is where it's at. Yeah.
All right, moving right along. We're gonna do Tequila 1800. Another brand that you can pretty much find in so many different places. It's so popular. God knows why, probably marketing budget. Uh, but yeah, oh gosh, give this one a little tasty poo. Very harsh ethanol-like alcohol aroma right off the nose. Not very enjoyable.
Yeah, that's a big time no. That's a no-no. It's not as bad as Jose Cuervo, if that, if that helps. That's a D. That's a definitely a D. Yeah. Yeah.
All right, next up is Yayo. Yayo is a relatively new, uh, brand of tequila that just came out recently. It's additive-free. It is, uh, relatively inexpensive, not too, you know, not too pricey. And the only real knock on on this is the design is that I find it, it's not very appealing to me. I don't love the design of the bottle. I guess a lot of people like, who cares, man? Well, I do. I care. I used to be a graphic designer, so I do care. Yeah. Wow. Nice bright, citrusy, really good. Nice easy zipper. Not too harsh. Doesn't have that harsh, uh, like alcohol kind of burn. Really nice. And, uh, yeah, pretty, pretty good, you know what I mean? Like, it's very solid, very dependable. Definitely a C. And again, I don't mean it as like a disc to call it a C.
All right, our buddy LeBron James, Los Lobos 1707 tequila, which, you know, only sort of resembles a Pine-Sol bottle, which, you know, definitely makes me excited to drink it. I guess. God, no. Oh, I can't. I can't. That's enough. Oh, no, no. You know what? I feel like I was unfair to Yayo. We're gonna upgrade it to a B. It's good. It's solid. Don't want to put it in in the C category because it's a good value for for what it is. So give it a B.
Next up is Tequila Cabal. When I first discovered this brand, I immediately was like, wow, that's very gimmicky. You know, big ass, big old horse head. Like it's a nice shaped bottle, but like, are you hiding something? Why are you doing something so ornate? And then I kind of discovered the history of their family and being and their family being involved in, uh, horse sports and horse racing and things along those lines. So it's kind of an homage to their family. And then, you know, it didn't really erase the, uh, my feelings of like gimmickiness, but let's give it a try. So we're gonna try the blanco first, and then maybe we'll sip the repo. Nice, easy to drink. It's very subtle as it starts, and it kind of builds in your mouth. More of that agave flavor kind of comes forward as it's like finishing. It's really nice. It's deep. It's bold. Great for a blanco. I think it's very interesting to sip on, and it's not as like citrusy as some other other blancos, but it's very, very fascinating. And our little horsey horsey friends reposado. It's hard to hold it. I don't love the, don't love that, but it is what it is. Oh, yeah. Now that, that's incredible. That's a really good reposado. You get this almost chocolatey kind of flavor from the barrel. And, uh, the the añejo is even more intense than that flavor, but you still, the the agave doesn't shy away. It doesn't get overpowered by the barrel, and it's really enjoyable to step on on its own. And truthfully, I was eventually convinced that it wasn't just the gimmick. It ends up being a pretty little bottle, but the juice inside is very, very good. Oh, shh. It's okay. It's okay. All right, all right. Let's move on to the next one. And for this one, I'm gonna give it a B. Very solid. I think the price is a little bit higher, but very enjoyable. If you can get your hands on it, I do recommend it. B.
Right, let's talk about some celebrity fact brands that are actually decent. Uh, we have Código, which at one point was owned by George Strait, and then we have Insolito, which is apparently a part owned by the band called Midland. I don't know who that is, so I don't know. Don't judge me. Um, both of these are actually not bad. Uh, let's talk about the Código first. I have all of their different expressions here. They even have a, uh, uh, basically a rosado, which like a rose aged tequila, and it is additive-free. Um, and they recently were sold, if I'm not mistaken, to another company. So I don't know if George Strait is even known her anymore, but technically they are. They were for a very long time celebrity owned. But the star of the show for me is their still strength. Uh, I love still strength Tequilas. I think that they provide some of the most, uh, natural and and like intense flavors from a tequila, and they're my usually my favorites to sip on. Uh, so let's give this a nice little sippy sip. Wow. Yeah. Intense. Higher in proof. Very strong. This bottle is super enjoyable. Now, if this bottle was the only thing they made, this would have a much higher rating. Um, not to say that these are bad. Uh, I just find that their brand is a little bit overpriced for what it is. Um, you can regularly find the bottles for like 60 or 70 dollars, and like, you know, there's other Tequilas that I would buy at that price before I bought this. Um, so definitely going into the C category. As for, I genuinely really enjoy this brand. Uh, I don't know how much involvement this band has with the production, but the one bottle I don't have here, which is the añejo, was my favorite. Unfortunately, it fell off of my back bar and broke when one of my bartenders was grabbing it, but it is what it is. Uh, the repo is still an incredible option. So let's give this one a step. It's interesting. It's got a different kind of salinity, almost minerality to it from the repo. You get some of that the barrel notes, but the añejo was out of this world. The blanco was very good as well. It's bright and citrusy. Uh, I give them a B. Actually, surprisingly, probably the highest. I, I never thought I'd give like a celebrity back spirit, but I never thought I'd see the day, but here we are. A B.
And for a have a real heavy hitter tequila, Tequila Ocho is an incredible tequila. It is also produced by Carlos Camarena, which is the same guy who produces El Tesoro, and it is a brand that has been around for quite a little bit. I really, really enjoy it. The repo is incredible. Uh, actually, all of the things that they make is incredible. That's so great. It almost got like a peppery flavor to it. It's bright. It's incredible. If you haven't had it, what are you doing, man? Go and get some. This is an A. A plus, easily, without a doubt.
So speaking of another brand that isn't too too expensive and makes really good stuff, Platino line, or their Platinum line is their more higher-end stuff. They do have like a mixto line, which I actually don't mind. Normally I don't like mixto Tequilas, meaning that they're not 100% agave. Um, I think the thermisto is actually very flavorful, doesn't taste fake, and it's a really good price for the for the budget. It makes great margaritas and it comes in like 18 bucks a bottle. But the Platino line is usually a little bit higher, more like 40, 50, 60. Their añejo here is very, very good. They've been making tequila for a very long time, and I really do enjoy their stuff. So let's, uh, give this a sip. Wow. Full-bodied, robust, good caramelly flavors from the barrel. Tastes a little bit like a whiskey in a good way. Um, very, very good. The whole brand, the whole thing is definitely a B plus.
It had, you knew it was coming, and it had to come at some point. Uh, Tequila Fortaleza. I've spoken so much about this. I don't want to spend too much time on this brand. If it could be in its own tier in my opinion, it's that good. So you know what? We'll put this in S. But now it's going to throw off all the other ratings. Well, that's your problem. So this is going into S. I've spoken about this at length, and there's so many other videos that you can watch on it over here. But while you're here, let's talk about something very special that they do. This is Fortaleza's Winter Blend 2022. I only got two bottles of it. This is the last little remaining bit of it that I have. There's very little left. And the winter blend is that they take their still strength and then they age it in special barrels, and it's only a special amount that they make every year, and it's very limited, and they release it once a year. And this was the 2022 edition, and it is incredible. But let's sip it and talk about it. This is the last little bit that I have. I'm just kidding. I'm saving the other bottle I got for my wedding. This is incredible. This is absolutely incredible. It is amazing. That's God damn, wow. S tier. Yeah, that's it. S tier. We're making its own tier. That's where it's how good it is.
And you know what? While we're here, let's talk about G4. Hey, G4 is another absolutely amazing brand of tequila. It is from one of my favorite distilleries in all of Mexico. This brand itself is one of my favorite things coming out of Mexico, along with Fortaleza. So before we even taste it, I'm going to tell you right now, this is going to occupy seat number dose over on the S tier, right next to Fortaleza. This stuff is absolutely incredible. It is made at a distillery known as El Pandillo, and they pump out some of the best brands in the market today. Fortaleza only makes Fortaleza, but this distillery makes on a couple of other brands, and each one of them is very unique and different because of the different water sources that they use. One of the things that I love about G4 the most is its minerality, and how it's almost salty. It's like perfect for oysters or seafood, and it gets this almost mineral, almost salty, kind of savory flavor from their water source, and it's so good and so different, and it really is pushing the bounds of what a tequila is, and it's incredible. God damn. Yeah, that's Jesus. Anyway, I might stop the video here and just go drink this, but I won't do that to you guys. You deserve more.
Speaking of brands made at El Pandillo, we have Volans. Uh, Volans is again, a brand that is made at the same distillery as G4. So you're probably gonna be good stuff. The reason why I like it a lot is that it's not as well known as G4. It's usually easier to get. G4 is suffering from some of the same issues that Fortaleza is, where you're not really able to find it in liquor stores and stuff like that. Um, but Volans, I've not had that issue. They are also making really incredible stuff. They have a good minerality to them. We're going to taste that reposado here. It's not as minerality as a G4, but it has really great notes of citrus and kind of fruit, almost, and it's just really good. Pretty much, if we're being honest, anything out of El Pandillo is probably going to sit in the A category for me. Volans, A for sure. There's just a, you know what? Since we added an S tier, I feel like it's really unfair for Cascahuin, which is one of my favorite brands, to sit alone in the A tier. Let's bump this one up to S. They are amazing. S tier.
All right, let's talk about Inspiro Tequila. Inspiro is another brand that was master distilled by Ana Maria Romero Mena. So I had good expectations of this one going in. So they have a blanco and they also have a Rosa Reposado, which is aged in former rose, uh, barrels. It smells like rose. It doesn't really taste like rose. We're gonna sip on the blanco instead. I want to know about more of their actual agave flavor. So it's good. I think that it's not the most unique tequila out there. I think it's beautiful. It's all women-owned, and I love the story of it. It's women-owned. It's women, you know, distilled for the most part, and every step of their business has women involved, which I love. I think the story of that is amazing. As for the product itself, I think it's, it's good. It's nothing groundbreaking. It's nothing amazing. I think the rosado reposado is very enjoyable and stuff on its own. The blanco is a nice easy zipper. They're great options too. Definitely would give this one a B.
And if you've been waiting, we now have Teremana Tequila by The Rock. Celebrity Tequila's, man. Another one to try. Oh my God. It smells so rancid. It just tastes like vanilla and cotton candy. It doesn't taste like agave. How many of these terrible brands are they going to keep pumping out and just attach it to a celeb? It's a D. It's an F. It's who cares. It's awful. And honestly, to wash out my mouth from that experience, let's talk about El Tesoro. El Tesoro is an amazing brand. It is such an incredible brand. I genuinely love them. They are distilled by the same person who's responsible for distilling Tequila Ocho, Carlos, and this dude is just an OG in the tequila space, and everything he makes is just incredible. And while we can taste the blanco, I'm going to tell you right off the bat that this is definitely an S tier tequila. It is super robust, full of flavor, and just absolutely amazing. It's quite frankly one of my absolute favorite Tequilas to sip on ever. Um, I really can't recommend it enough. El Tesoro.
And honestly, that right there might be enough. But let's taste the most expensive tequila I have in my collection, and that would be the El Tesoro 85th Anniversary Edition that was aged in former Booker's Bourbon barrels. This was a special edition tequila that is at retail. This is like close to 700 a bottle. It's not very full. I've enjoyed quite a bit of it, especially sharing it with friends at my bar who really enjoy this kind of thing. And now we're going to taste this. Well, that was a big pour. Oh God. All right, well, more for me. That is heavenly. You definitely can taste the taste of the former bourbon barrels, but it doesn't overshadow or overpower the tequila flavor that still is right there in that tequila. It's super enjoyable. It's super caramelly. It's stupidly good, man. Could you ever wanted to carry a bottle of tequila or are you sane? Because this right here, man, is so good. You didn't get your hands on it. I'm not telling you to go shell out 700, but if you have that kind of money and you want to, I don't think you'll be disappointed in this. I feel very lucky to even have this, to be perfectly honest with you. And so I feel disrespectful to try and sell it, so I don't. I just sip on it and share it with people who I know will appreciate it. S. S all day. S. Yeah, absolutely.
So yeah, uh, there you have it. I tasted all of these Tequilas and ranked them. I hope you enjoyed this video. And if you're interested in me ranking more things, I have a whole other video right over here that you can check out where I ranked every single classic cocktail. Now I need to get back to work, and I don't know how I'm going to do that because this was a lot of tequila. Cheers.