Our Favorite Blanco Tequilas from Los Altos Under $50

Casamigos is a tequila brand created by friends George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman. They have chosen NOM 1416 (Productos Finos de Agave) to be where this tequila is made and agaves from the Highlands of Jalisco are chosen for distillation. Their blanco rests for 2 months in stainless-steel before bottling at 80 proof.

Olmeca Altos is the result of a unique collaboration between master distiller Jesús Hernandez, a team of engineers from Kentucky, and two acclaimed UK bartenders, the late Henry Besant and Dre Masso. The distillery is located 6,900 feet above sea level in the heart of Los Altos. Olmeca Altos is produced using the traditional tahona method with agave from the Highlands - 60% comes from Olmeca Altos' own estates and 40% from third party sources.

Suerte Tequila is produced by Master Distiller Pedro Hernandez Barba using traditional methods, such as slow-cooking the piñas for 56 hours in a horno (brick oven) and crushing the baked agave with a tahona (stone wheel). The Suerte Blanco is rested in stainless steel tanks for two months before bottling.

Distilled exclusively from agave grown on Carlos Camarena's family estate, this tequila has been a cult favorite in Mexico for more then 75 years but is a recent arrival in the US. Uniquely, it is distilled to its final bottling proof, rather than being distilled to a higher proof and then diluted with water. "Tapatío", by the way, refers to someone or something from Guadalajara, the Camarena family's ancestral home. (SRP $40)

Carlos Camarena and Dale Sklar join forces to bring us Villa Lobos Tequila. Originally produced for the UK market, there was no way that they could keep a new offering from Carlos Camarena from the US. Produced via old school production methods using only the ripest of agave, it is aged for 6 months in steel tanks after distillation.

This tequila hails from Arandas in Jalisco at the El Ranchito Distillery owned by the Vivanco family, fifth generation agaveros. The agaves are sourced from their own estate which they grow from the "hijuelo" stage (baby shoots) to maturation at 7-9 years of age. The piñas are cooked for 24 hours in 100 degree ovens. Champagne yeast is used for fermentation which occurs only in the winter months. This allows an extended mash period and a fruitier distillate.

t1 is a tequila brand created by Master Distiller Germán González, formerly with his family’s brand, Chinaco. In contrast to the t1 Ultra Fino Tequila, the Selecto Blanco uses even more-mature agaves and a broader distillation cut that is then balanced by a higher proof.

Named for Don Felipe Camarena, the man who established La Alteña Distillery in 1937 and where El Tesoro is distilled today. The agaves used in its production are 100% estate-grown agaves from Los Altos (aka Highlands) of Jalisco. After the agaves cook for three days in a horno (oven), they are then crushed by a two-ton tahona stone. Fermentation and distillation includes not only the aguamiel (cooked agave juice), but the fibers and pulp. It is distilled to proof meaning no water is added. It is bottled without aging at 80 proof. Note: Packaging and name update from Platinum to Blanco Tequila in April 2018. (SRP $50)

This tequila is actually distilled at two of the brand's own distilleries, Fábricas El Centenario and La Vencedora. The former employs more traditional methods including the use of two mules to pull the tahona (stone wheel) and wild yeast in fermentation while the latter uses a molina (a modern mill) to crush the agaves and their own yeast strain. Both are distilled in copper pot stills and the two tequilas are blended together to create their product. (SRP $45)

Don Julio's distillery in Atotonilco, Jalisco (NOM 1449) utilizes Highland agaves that are steam-cooked for 72 hours. After crushing the cooked agave, the aquamiel (honey water) is collected, fermented, and then double-distilled in stainless steel pot-stills. The tequila is bottled immediately afterward without further resting or aging.