Best Tequilas For Mom

Clase Azul Plata is slow roasted in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours and then fermented with a brand developed proprietary yeast. It is not aged at all and therefore only filtered and bottled in a clear blue base accented bottle to show its clarity and pureness.

While the majority of tequilas in this category are unaged (or aged briefly in stainless steel or in oak then filtered for clarity), this pale golden-hued one, made from 10 year old agave grown in Los Altos, Jalisco, is aged for 28 days in new French Limousin oak barrels. That's not enough time for a reposado, hence its plata-ness.

This extra añejo tequila uses agaves matured from 7-10 years harvested from Los Altos in Jalisco. The agaves are roasted for 72 hours in brick ovens before crushing, fermenting, and distilling. Uniquely, after distillation, the spirit goes through Avión's proprietary ultra-slow filtration method before it enters the barrel. It's aged a total of 44 months--43 months in large oak barrels and the final month in specially selected "petite barrels", which are rotated daily. Each bottle is hand-numbered and signed by Avión founder, Ken Austin.

This añejo tequila from El Jimador is produced in the valley (Lowlands) of Jalisco. This lower-tier tequila from Casa Herradura is aged for 12 months in new American oak barrels and features an affordable price point for a 100% agave añejo tequila.

Based in the Tequila Valley of the eponymous town of Tequila in Jalisco, Fortaleza (known as Los Abuelos outside of the US) holds on to classic production methods dating back over a century. They hand-harvest their agave, roast them in brick ovens for 3 days which are then crushed by a tahona pulled by an electric tractor (which took the place of their mule after he died). Later the pulp is rinsed with local spring water and the mash is fermented for 3.5 days in a wooden fermentation vat. It is double distilled in classic alembic stills. This reposado is rested in American oak barrels for 7 months in used whiskey barrels.

Guillermo Erickson Sauza, a fifth-generation tequila maker and a descendant of THAT tequila family resurrected his family-owned distillery in 2005. The tequila is produced in a traditional manner using brick ovens to cook the agaves which are then crushed with a tahona (large stone wheel). They are then allowed to naturally ferment in open air wooden tanks. The tequila is known in México as Tequila Los Abuelos, named to honor his great-great grandfather, great-grand father, and grandfather who did so much to promote the tequila industry. Outside of México, the brand is known as Fortaleza ("fortitude").

Created in the Highlands of Tequila known as Los Altos, El Espolon Añejo is handcrafted from piñas slow-roasted for 18 to 20 hours at the San Nicolas distillery. Rock music is played during the production process to "inspire" the agave. Aged for 10 months in new American oak and finished maturing in used Wild Turkey Bourbon barrels for two additional months. Try this in an Old Fashioned cocktail for a modern spin on a classic cocktail.

Produced in the tiny village of Amitan, a stone's throw from the town of Tequila, Herradura Añejo tequila is a blend of modern and traditional distilling techniques. Agave hearts (piñas) are first roasted in clay ovens, before being shredded by a mechanical roller, and then fermented with wild yeasts native to the area. Finally, there is a double distillation before being matured in American oak barrels.

The añejo from Don Julio is aged for 18 months in American oak from agaves sourced in the Highlands of Jalisco. Don Julio is named for its founder, Don Julio González Estrada who founded the distillery in 1942.

Bottled in a beautiful handmade and hand painted ceramic decanter. Inside is a distillate that is carefully aged for eight months in second-use oak barrels. It is then triple micro-filtrated to ensure the highest purity.