Top Sweet Añejo Tequilas

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.

Suerte continues to garner acclaim for their tequilas, which are traditionally-produced at a 15,000 square-foot distillery that’s located in Atotonilco El Alto, a small town in Jalisco. For 24 months, the Suerte Añejo is rested in charred American white oak whiskey barrels, twice the minimum amount required for añejo tequila.

Tequila Ocho is the first and only Single Estate vintage tequila on the market. Crafted by Tomas Estes & Carlos Camarena. Each bottle is hand bottled, labeled, and has the personal tasting notes for each expression by Tomas on the back label. All the agave is sourced on family farms and therefore each expression from each estate showcases its own terroir. “El Puertecito” is the most northerly agave ranch in the Tequila Ocho family. When they began harvesting here about 25% of the plants were over-matured or decayed. This leads to a very high sugar and acidity content.

Cincoro Tequila is a brand founded by five NBA owners: Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Hornets, Emilia Fazzalari & Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics, Wes Edens of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Añejo tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave sourced from both the Highlands and the Lowlands of Jalisco. After double-distillation, the tequila is aged for 24-28 months in ex-American whiskey barrels. Bottled at 80 proof. Cincoro gets its name from "cinco" meaning five and "oro" meaning gold.

Casa San Matías is one of the oldest distilleries in Mexico, and this "extra aged añejo (though labeled as a standard añejo) from Pueblo Viejo Orgullo ("orgullo" = "pride" in Spanish) was created to commemorate 120 years of making tequila. The Los Altos Jalisco-grown agave is harvested at 7- 10 years. The spirit is aged in a combination of American and French oak barrels for 24 months.

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.

Uno Dos Tres is an Organic tequila brand created by David Ravandi. The añejo (also called “Tres” or 3) is aged for 18 months in white oak. The tequila is sourced from the Tequila Valley (aka Lowlands) and is certified organic by the USDA and the EU.

This is a 100% Highland blue agave tequila created by Master Distiller Germán González. HIs father created the Chinaco brand back in the 1970’s and Germán follows suit by creating his own brand. Autoclaves (industrial pressure cookers) are used for cooking the agaves which are cooked for 20 hours before double distillation. The añejo is aged between 20-24 months in used Scotch barrels and is bottled in a distinctive, Aladdin-shaped bottle. Additive free.

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.

Patrón Cask Collection Sherry Añejo, crafted by Master Distiller Francisco Alcarez, has been aged for two years in Spanish oloroso sherry barrels. Only 8,000 bottles were released at 40% ABV.