While a nice beer may be enough some days for the average guy, other times you need a proper tequila after a long week. At times, you may just want something useful to party with. At Men’s Gear, we don’t judge the reasoning for any use. In fact, we felt it would be great to tell you about the best tequila brands of today.
While different than things like whiskey, you could put some tequila in a whiskey glass if you’re feeling froggy. Typically, however, you use a nice shot glass. The stuff is a bit rough at times, so slinging it back is the best option usually. Yet you can also find more brands today offering proper sip tequila for those who cannot take the other kind.
What are the main differences between whiskey and tequila? The biggest is how you make it. One distills Whiskey from a grain mash while Tequila is distilled from roasted agave mash. Since you can drink either cold or room temperature, it does not matter how you serve it. Things like whiskey stones are used for those who like either to be cooler, however.
You may also take whiskey on a camping trip, only really using a cooler to keep it from being too warm. Tequila brands make the drink for times when you need to take the edge off of a hard day or week. Though it can be fun to use to loosen up, calm down, and have fun too.
The alcohol content in tequila can roughly be the same as those from other spirits. It just seems that it hits much harder and more effectively than most. Likely due to how it is absorbed by the body. Want a drink tonight? How about one of these impressive tequila brands?
The Patron Spirits Company has been making impressive tequila for several years now. Since 1989, they have been making tequilas that were said to be the best of the best. However, it was not always like this. For some time, Americans did not care for the idea of tequila. They were sold at bars, but tequila brands found it difficult to present their drinks to the public here. Whiskey and Wine ruled the time period and it did not make sense to trust a drink like tequila. It was considered nasty, bitter, and did not come across as a drink even alcoholics would lean toward. However, this was quickly fixed when Ed Brown took over as CEO of the Patron Spirits Company in 2000. They began to distance themselves from the reputation of tequila, introducing the new Patron tequila through a strategically brilliant marketing campaign. The same had been done with Vodka through Grey Goose, and thus, they followed in those footsteps. They began to target the party goers but then attempted to make tequila mean something. As if it mattered that not only you drank it, but drank their brand in particular. The Patron brand became a Premium Tequila as a result. While they were purchased by the Bacardi brand in 2018 for $5.1 Billion, they still operate as one of the most famous and well known alcoholic brands in the world. They also are among the top 5 best selling tequila brands each year. What makes them so good? Let’s examine this. What many make the mistake about, regarding tequila brands, is that they cannot be considered premium. Patron removed that theory and replaced it with a tequila you could trust but also knew the power of. Meanwhile, they made you think of it like whiskey and wine. The marketing helped this, but also the believability in their campaign among consumers worked out brilliantly. They also removed the myth that all tequila had to burn going down. They have developed tequila you can easily get that effect with, while also providing types that go down much easier. Patron realized premium comes at a price. If you cannot make something for everyone, then you cannot run a premium brand to cater to a big market. Patron Silver gave those who wanted a smooth tequila exactly what they needed. It could also be missed with cocktails and margaritas without taking away its main flavor too much. Yet the alcoholic content, while it could not be tasted with ease, still gave enough to do what you needed. They also added this same version of the tequila into a coffee type they make at the place too. Other tequila the Patron brand is famous for include: On top of this, Patron ended up running different lines within their overall brand. That meant while you’d see all the versions above listed in each line, they were much different in each version. The lines are: This is on top of the Limited Edition versions they have or had in the past. The limited edition items include or once did include: The brand also knows you are going to make cocktails among other things with their tequila, which is good foresight. On their website, they have helped you and even bartenders out by offering a full recipe list of cocktails using their tequilas. You can click here to see them all. It is really asking a lot to consider the prices at the Patron brand. Especially knowing they were sold off a year ago. A lot of the time, brands charge more for things after a sale so they can make their money back faster. Even if they could the price, why would Bacardi do so? As long as things are selling, then there aren’t any issues. However, they are not as bad as you might assume. Patron is pretty reasonable. Outside of limited edition tequila, you can find most of their drinks for anywhere between $25 and $60. This isn’t exactly a bad price, especially when this is factored in at 750ML bottles. However, their most premium tequila known as the Grand Patron sells for a much higher cost. Typically, you’ll see it go for $200 to $500, depending on where you buy it from. Often forgotten is how important the environment is to all sorts of alcoholic brands. Since Tequila is made from something that has to grow, Patron naturally is going to be more environmentally friendly and preach better environmental exercises. If you want to see their responsibility pledge, not only to help the agave plant but also for air and water, you can click here to do so. The 1800 tequila brand is well-known to the American public today, but they have also been rising in popularity all over the world for years too. Their sales are in the same window as the biggest tequila brands in the world right now, which proves they are only getting bigger. The brand gets its name from what they claim was the year the world’s first premium tequila was invented, 1800. Today, most know the 1800 bottle more than many others. This is due to the marketing behind the bottle. It was incorporated in the actual drinking of their product too. One simply had to turn over the bottle and a shot was already perfectly made for them at the top, inside the glass cap. This has remained, along with its infamous trapezoidal shape. What does the 1800 brand have that you should pay attention to? Let’s examine! Like other tequila brands, 1800 was not crazy enough to assume they could sell premium products and not offer an easy to drink tequila. People know of the stuff going down a bit hard, with a burn often going with it. Yet with premium brands, there are other options. This often comes under “Silver” lines for tequila brands. For 1800, they too have a silver line of tequila. Tons of bars around the world use this product in cocktails and margaritas. It’s simply put one of the best to do this with. They let each Silver drink age for 8 to 12 years before letting it go up for sale. Using the blue agave plant as its main ingredient, this tequila is smooth without any major issue. Due to its beloved taste, one can drink it on its own or in other drink mixtures. It was the first tequila to be 100 proof in its alcohol, so we recommend being careful in its use whether you drink it with something or not. Other products 1800 sells include: As mentioned, people often use the 1800 brand in cocktails and margaritas. Seeing the market leaning in this direction, the brand knew they could capitalize. This led them to create their own margarita drinks and putting them up for sale. They call this line, 1800 THE ULTIMATE MARGARITA®. Since the brand knows they can sell margaritas, they also know they cannot make all that come to mind. Yet they could tell others about them. This also made sense to do with cocktails too. 1800 thought it through and decided to give the people what they wanted. Currently, they have a nice sized page dedicated on their website to drinks you can make using their tequila. This comes complete with the full recipe and ingredients you’ll need, including which tequila to use. To see this, click here. 1800 sells their tequilas for a similar price to others you’ll see in the same field. The world of tequila is still relatively small, so all the known companies within the field are big competitors. This only means that none can be overpriced and expect to sell anything. People will just move on to another brand of tequila, even if one company has a better type. In order to remain premium yet affordable, they have to sell their tequila in the right sized container. At the same time, make the price worthy of the bottle’s size. Most tequila can be found in 750ML or 1L bottles. The average 750ML bottle will sell for anywhere between $30 and $60 for 1800. This is pretty even with the other tequila brands from what we can see. In 1942, a 17-year-old man by the name of Don Julio González-Frausto Estrada founded a company with his own name. Over 50 years later, that same company has become one of the most well-known and celebrated tequila brands on the planet. While Don is no longer here to enjoy the riches of his creation, he made something that few others were doing at the time. He made a tequila that actually worked well for its time in Mexico but also could work anywhere else if marketed right. He made a tequila that could work for even the newest of drinkers, which meant it could be pushed more. Once everything else got off the ground and moving, they began to make more products until eventually, the Don Julio brand became what it is today. Let’s examine their selection. The brand has several different tequilas to choose from. However, the biggest thing to keep in mind is the type you prefer. Do you want something tequila is known for in taste or something that isn’t like that? Do you want a bitter or burn taste? Some prefer this as opposed to the smooth and sweat side of things. It is really up to the person, and the Don Julio brand wants to cater to everyone and what they want. The Don Julio brand sells a lot of great tasting tequila, so this is really down to preference at the end of the day. To help you out, we wanted to list what you can choose to buy from the brand today: The cool thing about Don Julio is that each you pick from here will taste different. You won’t deal with one tasting too much like the other. On top of this, they have a healthy balance between a smooth taste and a spicy type of taste. You won’t get anything too tough from Don Julio. However, some will certainly stand out much more than others. Again, this is all about personal preference. Like other tequila brands, Don Julio knows people use their tequilas in cocktails and margaritas. Seeing as they want to make sure you drink something worth your time, the brand has several recipes you can view any time. Here you’ll be able to make perfect drinks with Don Julio tequila without the risk of wondering if it’ll be good. You can see their full list of recipes by clicking here. Most Don Julio tequilas are sold in 750ML bottles. This is very common in most alcoholic drinks, especially tequila. However, the bigger the bottle is the more it’ll cost with any of them. This is especially true of premium brands. Some of their tequila is part of a specialty line, which means it’ll cost more. These will go for $200 to $600. Possibly more, depending on age. However, the normal cost for one of their bottles at 750ML goes for anywhere between $35 and $70. Again, this is really in where you buy it from. The Herradura Tequila brand is one of the oldest alcohol brands in the world today. It was officially founded by Felix Lopez in 1870. It remained in their family for 125 years before it was sold off to Brown-Forman. The brand happens to own a lot of alcohol companies, including Jack Daniel’s among a sea of others. While they are an American based company, they have not removed the tequila from its home. They have allowed for it to remain a Mexican-produced tequila as it has been since day one. The distillery simply reports to the parent company. The brand is also 100% made by agave with no other types of fruits or vegetables added in. Other than the normal things one uses for flavoring or distilling, the agave is the main thing that makes up the brand. The cool part about Herradura is that they have become insanely popular in Mexico. For years, they have remained the highest selling tequila in the country. Their efforts to sell in America have also picked up over the last number of years too. They are obviously impressive, so let’s dive into them more. The Herradura brand has been making tequila for a very long time now. They know exactly what people want by now and they have continued to deliver each time. They have tried out new products or limited edition versions like others. However, the main fixtures for them have remained in place for decades. The most notable tequila they make is known as “El Jimador.” It is the best selling tequila in all of Mexico. While not technically under the same name as Herradura, they have been making El Jimador tequila for years. They have also been awarded the most gold medals for tequila in the world today. You could say they know what works for sure. It is not shocking that they have been able to make such impressive tequila but to continue to win awards for it is simply amazing. The tequila you can buy from them is: Each has won a slew of awards. Often, they were won from the same award areas too. It is really strange to see how they continue to do it, but it is impressive for sure. One common mistake with tequila brands is that they stick to one thing they do well and nothing else. It is clear Herradura is not about that. They continue to try and perfect their established brands of tequila. Meanwhile, they try out new things consistently. It is certainly exciting to see. Some people would not call the Herradura tequila premium. For the most part, they are technically not designed to be. However, they do have certain premium versions of their tequila, which should be noted. This reflects why their prices can vary so widely. Currently, you can buy tequila from Herradura for anywhere between $25 and $300. Of course, most of their tequila does not go beyond $70. Only a few are in the hundreds. Sometimes they charge a bit more for the normal type if they age longer. However, charging more for older alcohol versions is quite a common occurrence in the world of alcoholic drinks. The Calle 23 brand is a bit newer to the party in comparison to others on the list. However, that does not make them any less brilliant at what they do. In fact, some may say they know the market a bit more since they started afterward. Despite their age, they have become a top brand in the world of tequila very quick. Most who love tequila will tell you that, for the price they ask, there are not many better than them today. This is a bold claim, yet it has been backed up by several who have enjoyed their drinks. Funny enough, their sales also prove that people love them too. Let’s dive into them! Since they have not been around 200 years or anything, they won’t have as deep a selection for their tequila as others. That does not hurt their process, however. Every bit of tequila you buy from Calle 23 has spent 7 to 9 years developing before it was sold off. That only helps to give them a better tasting tequila at the end of the day. What are the drinks you can buy? These are the ones the brand currently sells: While it is only three, you don’t have to do much more when you’re able to make a perfect three. Of course, they have made some other stuff and will likely add more over time. Yet they do a very good job with what they have. On their website, they have something they like to call “The Mixing Room.” It is an area on the site you can see how to make certain cocktails using the Calle 23 products. There are numerous there, so you’re bound to find something you’ll love. To check all of them out, click here. Since many do not consider Calle 23 to be premium tequila, even when they could certainly be called this based on reviews and love of the product, this is useful. It ultimately means without the “premium” stigma added, they can charge a bit less, This is why you can buy any of the Calle 23 tequilas for anywhere between $25 and $50 most of the time. There could be alterations depending on where you buy, but this is the overall average for them.Bacardi (Patron Spirits Company)
Patron Spirits Company Tequila
Price Range:
1800
1800’s Premium Tequila
Price Range:
Don Julio
Don Julio Tequilas
Price Range:
Herradura
Herradura Tequilas
Price Range:
Calle 23
Calle 23 Tequilas
Price Range:
Overview Of The Best Tequila Brands
For some, it is uncertain even still if there is a perfect or best tequila. It is perfectly acceptable to have many favorites or drink from tons of different tequila brands. This is only normal, in our opinion. As long as it is done in proper moderation, drink whatever tastes best to you.
However, the tequila brands we listed above were used due to how often they are highly spoken about. Reviews for them are among the highest on the planet today. Plus, they all sell very well too. Proof of product is not how something sells one time but how it sells again and again.
If one continues to buy from a tequila brand, then that brand must be doing something right. We feel that all of the brands listed above were perfect representations of the overall tequila market. They all offer some memorable drinks. Some of the drinks are so well known, they are legendary in their own right.
Tequila may have gotten started in the Mexican territory, due to the materials that make it, but it has not remained a Mexican-only market. Several companies all over the world now make tequila, which only goes to show how much is out there to try. However, there is no substitute for the best in the area.
The tequila brands we cited above are the true best of the best there is today. Regardless of where they are based, this cannot be overlooked.
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