The most excellent, super-exclusive, sell-your-soul, crystal bottle, diamond doorknob stopper, ultra premium tequila…Would you pay $275 for a bottle of tequila? If you did, would you regret it?
Some ultra premium tequilas that will set you back a few hundred dollars include:
Milagro Unico
Price: $300
A blend of triple-distilled silver tequila and Milagro’s barrel-aged stock, Unico is an agave-forward tequila that is playful on the tongue, yet offers a long, smooth finish. All of the agave used is estate-grown in the Jalisco highlands, and the vegetal beverage is packaged in a slender, striking bottle that showcases its crystal-clear appearance. Given the labor-intensive process that goes into making this carefully crafted spirit, only 1,200 individually numbered bottles have been released.
Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario
Price: $2,000
On November 2, 1758, Don José Antonio de Cuervo procured a parcel of land on which to plant blue agave, and the rest, as they say, is margarita-soaked history. 250 years later, the Don’s namesake spirits company commemorated the occasion with Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario, an ultra-premium extra-añejo tequila crafted from agave sourced solely from Cuervo’s original plot. A blend of the finest aged tequilas from the family’s private reserves, 250 Aniversario offers notes of butterscotch and vanilla tempered with a hint of pepper. The bottle, inspired by the original glass container used by Don Jose Cuervo to ship his wares over two centuries ago, comes numbered and packaged in a handsome oak box.
Gran Patron Burdeos
Price: $499
Named after the vintage Bordeaux barrels in which it is racked, this luxurious añejo tequila is triple-distilled and aged for a minimum of twelve months in order to achieve its smooth, full-bodied taste and rich, dark amber hue. Packaged in an elegant crystal bottle nestled inside a suede-lined black walnut box, Gran Patrón Burdeos is an excellent gift for that agave aficionado in your life; however, we can’t say we blame you if you choose to keep this top-notch tequila all to yourself.
Don Julio Real
Price: $350
Founded by Don Julio Gonzalez in 1942, Mexico’s most popular premium tequila has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the highlands of Jalisco. Don Julio Real, the brand’s extra-añejo offering, is the result of decades of hard work in the pursuit of the perfect tequila. Made using handpicked seven- to ten-year-old blue agave, the tequila is then aged in American white oak barrels for three to five years, where it acquires its signature vanilla flavors and subtle, oaky finish. The decanter-style bottle comes adorned with silver agave leaves, paying tribute to Jalisco’s favorite flora.
Casa Dragones
Price: $275
Oprah Winfrey worked her marketing magic on books, but can she apply the same mojo to tequila? The talk show queen has raved about Casa Dragones, a joven style tequila from San Miguel de Allende that combines an extra-añejo aged for five years in new charred American white oak barrels with un-aged tequila. The mix is then filtered through a bed of charcoal to remove its color. The 80-proof clear liquid is put in an individually numbered crystal bottle decorated by hand with representations of pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and an agave plant, then sealed. The award-winning packaging even comes with a matching decanter top that can be used after popping the synthetic cork, which we suggest you do inmediatamente. Enjoy vanilla and citrus on the nose. The first playful sip presents pepper on the palate, but no alcohol burn on this exceptionally smooth spirit. The next offers a delicate sweetness to the tip of the tongue, a burst of fruit mid-palate and a satisfyingly viscous mouthfeel. Besides Mexico and the U.K., this rare treat is sold in just fourteen U.S. states, and only 32,000 bottles were made in the first two years of production.
AsomBroso 11 Year Anejo
Price: $1,200
While tequila aficionados may be familiar with the categories reposado (aged at least two months) and añejo (aged at least a year), the extra-añejo label applied to tequilas aged more than three years wasn’t established until 2006. At that time, this tequila was already mellowing in oak barrels, so someone at AsomBroso was definitely looking ahead. Distilled according to time-honored practices using organically grown 100 per cent blue agave, AsomBroso 11 Year Añejo is then patiently aged in French oak barrels, imparting the tequila with a unique bouquet of aromas and a smooth, warm mouthfeel. Since the agave plants harvested were ten years old, and it sat for an unheard-of eleven years, this expensivo spirit took more than two decades to make, and displays the kind of elegance and refinement that can only come with age. Wondering about the shape of the hand-made bottle? It was inspired by an eighteenth-century crystal decanter discovered in an English castle by founder Ricardo Gamarra, and is replete with intricate millefiori glass “flowers.”
Check out this Fox News list of top 10 tequilas. Do they belong on a top 10 list and, if so, is that the right one?
*Quotes are courtesy of the Fox News list mentioned and linked to above and are not necessarily the opinion of Tequila Aficionado or its employees.
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