Tequila Is Better Than Taxes

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.

Corralejo is known for its innovative techniques that date back to 1775 when the distillery first began producing tequila in Guanajuato. This reposado is aged 4 months in 3 different types of casks - French, American and white oak - to impart a variety of characteristics to this matured spirit.

Named in honor of the master tequila harvesters, the Jimadores, who cut each agave heart (the piña) by hand with a razor sharp coa, El Jimador Reposado is a value brand from Casa Herradura. The tequila starts by roasting the piñas in a clay oven, double-distilling the spirit and then placing the new-make spirit in American oak bourbon barrels for two months to rest.

This is a great textbook example of a classic Highland tequila and is actually from one of the highest elevation distilleries in Mexico and sourced from agave grown in some of the highest elevation plantations in Jalisco. The higher pressure, thinner air and cooler climate of the Highlands make for long growing cycles and bright citric and vegetal flavors.

Partida is known for having complete control over its production from field to bottle. The estate-grown agave used to make it is aged 7 - 10 years in a section near a dormant volcano in the Tequila Valley of Jalisco, Mexico. It's aged six months in ex-Jack Daniels barrels.

1 2 3 (to be pronounced “Uno, Dos, Tres”) is a tequila brand that was founded by David Ravandi. It is certified organic by both the USDA and the EU. The unaged “Uno” uses 100% blue agave sourced from the Tequila Valley (Lowlands). The bottles are made from 100% recycled glass, with the labels printed on 100% recycled paper. Soy ink is used for the printing.

Tapatio is produced at La Alteña distillery in Jalisco, where generations of the Camarena family have been making tequila, mostly for local consumption. This a joint project between Carlos Camarena and Marko Karakasevic of Charbay Winery & Distillery in Napa. The 100% estate-grown blue agave is roasted for 4 days and fermented with a proprietary yeast culture that dates back 75 years. It's double-distilled in copper pot stills, aged 18 months in ex-bourbon barrels and undiluted to retain natural flavors. Additive free.

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.

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. Additive free. (SRP $40)

Valles is the brainchild of Siembra Azul founder David Suro, who wanted to create a tequila at the very first distillery he'd visited, Distileria Cascahuin (NOM 1123). The lowland Valles area in which it is located is known for its mineral-rich agave grown in the volcanic soils of El Arenal, Jalisco. The agave is slow roasted for up to 72 hours and shredded 4 times for optimal use of its sugars. It is meticulously fermented in a combination of Mamposteria (a stone structure enclosed by fiberglass) and stainless steel tanks. It is then distilled once in stainless steel with copper coil, then again in more slowly in small copper pot stills, bottled unaged.