If you’re more familiar with necking down a tequila as quickly as you can while licking salt and sucking lemons, you might be blissfully unaware that there’s more to this potent spirit. But there’s a whole world of luxury tequilas which bring a whole new flavor sensation to the palate.

For those nights where you’re just trying to get from A to B – and by that we mean from sober to drunk – as quickly as possible, then a posh tequila may seem pointless. However, even if you’re not planning on sipping the spirit delicately, there are lots of reasons why a quality tequila is worth the extra coin. 

True, and the most expensive tequilas do have a richer, rounder taste but it’s the Weber Blue Agave content that matters. Technically, a drink can be labeled as tequila with just 51% Blue Weber Agave – leaving 49% of cheap, nasty and (usually) chemical fillers.

It’s these added ingredients that will give you the hangover from hell and leave you swearing to quit tequila forever – or at least until next weekend. 

There are no guarantees that you’ll feel as fresh as the mountain dew after a night drinking quality tequila, but you won’t feel as bad as if you’ve been gulping down the cheap stuff. 

Expensive tequilas are clean, balanced in flavor and often arrive in beautiful bottles.

We’ve manfully done our duty by researching the most expensive tequilas, and here’s our lowdown on the top tequilas that everyone deserves to try. 

The Tequilas To Try

There is one easy way to tell if a tequila is genuinely the real deal or if it’s just some cheap stuff masquerading behind a hefty price tag. Look for the Weber Blue Agave; if it’s high-quality tequila it will never be less than 100%. 

Of course there’s more to finding a premium tequila than one simple factor, so here are the ones we think are well-deserving of their cost. 

1. The Most Expensive Tequila in the World: La Ley Del Diamante

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $3.5 million

Alcohol content: 42%

To really emphasize what we mean when we refer to expensive tequilas, let’s start with a bang. La Ley Del Diamante is the priciest tequila in the world, yours for a mere snip at $3.5 million.

We’ll get onto the tequila itself in a second but the bottle deserves far more than a passing mention. It’s the reason that this record-breaking tequila is so expensive; the bottle is handmade and encrusted with precious jewels. Its slinky metallic curves are made from no less than two kilos of platinum, the most expensive metal in the world. If that wasn’t enough it’s smothered with 4100 white diamonds weighing 328.59 carats down one side of the bottle, giving it an iridescent shimmer. 

The artisan bottle took 10 months to carefully create with no fewer than 17 artists involved in the creation. It has been exhibited in locations all around the world – but sadly not in our kitchen…

If you can drag your eyes away from the phenomenal bottle for long enough to take a sip of the tequila, you’ll find a rich and aromatic Extra-Anejo. Aged in barrels for seven years, more than double the minimum to qualify as an Extra-Anejo, the well-rounded, intense and demands to be savored. 

2. Casa San Matias Rey Sol Extra-Anejo Tequila

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $400

Alcohol content: 38-40% depending on vintage

Vastly more expensive than your average bar tequila but much more affordable than La Ley Del Diamante, the Casa San Matias Rey Sol Extra-Anejo Tequila goes for around $400. But there’s one thing they have in common: beautiful bottles. 

The Casa San Matias comes in a crystal decanter which sparkles just like the sun. And that’s pretty appropriate because the Sun King aka Rey Sol is embossed on the bottle. The design was created by well-known Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante, and the exquisite glasswork is accented beautifully when the bottle is full of the dark amber liquid. 

With the agave taking 7-10 years to harvest and then a further 5-7 years in an oak barrel, this isn’t a tequila you can rush. But the explosion of vanilla, chocolate, oak, hazelnut and dried fruit notes on your tongue will make the wait worthwhile. Pair with red meat and sip slowly for a decadent accompaniment to dinner. 

3. AsomBroso Reserva Del Porto

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $2800

Alcohol content: 40%

The AsomBroso Reserva Del Porto looks more like a piece of decorative artwork than a bottle of tequila, with its unique presentation in a handmade cigar humidor. Encased in its wooden box, complete with drawer for the stopper, the AsomBroso Reserva looks how you might imagine an expensive tequila to be. 

Peek inside the glorious wooden humidor and you’ll discover a curvy glass bottle, complete with colorful designs near the base. It won’t come as a surprise to discover that the bottle is a piece of artwork, the result of a collaboration between esteemed Italian artist Luciano Gambaro and distiller Ricardo Gamarra. However, they can’t take all the credit for the creativity; the design is based on a decanter discovered in a Portuguese 18th-century castle which took Gambara two years to recreate.

The Portuguese theme for the presentation is a tell-tale sign of the flavors you’ll find within. The AsomBroso is aged for a decade in Portuguese port wine barrels, giving a tequila which is almost like brandy. This tequila is mixed with a smaller quantity of tequila which has been aged in white oak casks. The combination of the two tequilas delivers a multi-layered and rounded flavor which develops in the mouth. 

4. José Cuervo 250 Aniversario

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $2179

Alcohol content: 40%

Sophisticated, simple and refined, the José Cuervo 250 Aniversario is special without being extravagant. The design is effortlessly elegant with an engraved neck plate and a leather-bound glass decanter. Each bottle is individually numbered and presented in a solid oak box. 

And this tequila deserves to be out of the ordinary as it was created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of King Carlos of Spain granting land to Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo to grow agave in 1758. Agave is still grown on that same patch of land today and it’s harvested to make these bottles of tequila. Good decision granting the land King Carlos!

The tequila is aged for at least three years in casks previously used for bourbon, before finishing off with an extra 10 months in a sherry cask. The combination produced an Extra-Anejo tequila which is warming and intense. On the nose there is smoke, citrus and sherry – unsurprisingly. This develops into chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla, leaving a creamy and smooth taste in the mouth. Mmmmmm….

5. Don Julio Real Tequila

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $350

Alcohol content: 38%

Claiming to be one of the – if not THE – first luxury tequila ever brought to market, Don Julio Real Tequila is high-quality but one of the more affordable entries on the list. It’s still a luxury item, but you won’t need to sell your car to buy a bottle. 

It was launched in 1996, a decade before the extra-anejo category was created, so you won’t find it labelled as such. However, despite the lack of labelling it very much IS an extra-anejo and is very possibly the first one ever made. 

The tequila is presented in a glass decanter style bottle which is caressed on each side by a silver-leafed agave leaf. The silver stopper is shaped like a piñas, the heart of the agave plant from which tequila is made, giving it a wonderfully organic design. 

Inside the bottle is special too as contrary to other tequilas, Real is aged in Canadian and American whiskey casks. This produces a tequila which has a beautiful sweet vanilla flavor which develops into stewed fruit, cigar tobacco, and a dab of rum and resin ice-cream. The latter disguises some of the typical agave taste and adds a subtle sophisticated dryness.

6. Patron En Lalique: Serie 2 Tequila

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $7500

Alcohol content: 40%

The first series of Patron En Lalique tequila got temperatures rising with its beautiful presentation and quality tequila…and now, just like Arnie, they’re back with a vengeance. Thankfully no one tried giving a Terminator a bottle of tequila, and certainly not one worth $7500. 

Looking almost like a giant Art Deco perfume bottle, the clean, geometric lines are distinctive yet undeniably appealing. The French crystal decanter is a similar shape to the original series but with a bit of a facelift to keep it looking fresh. The jewel in the crown is the stopper, decorated with the trademark Patron bee carved in white gold. The whole package is presented in a signature wooden box with a curved lid that spins to reveal its glorious amber contents. 

Only small batches of Serie 2 tequila are made at once, and each one is aged for eight years in a variety of casks: American oak, French oak and sherry barrels. This means that producing the tequila is painfully slow but every bottle has a fascinating multi-layered flavor which starts with fruits and sweet honey and leaves agave and oak dancing on your tongue. Pour, sip and savor. 

7. Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio

Type of Tequila: Anejo

Price: $2000

Alcohol content: 38%

Not only is this an expensive tequila, it’s also one of the rarest as only 3000 bottles were ever produced between 1998 and 2011. Demand for this liquor is high so you’ll need to be quicker than Speedy Gonzales to get your hands on a bottle. 

And what a bottle it is! Tall, slim and easy to pour, the lettering is embellished with 21-carat gold while an embossed glowing sun sends out warming rays. You’ll notice the cactus design, symbolic of the tequila’s Mexican origins.

But this isn’t an ordinary bottle decoration; the cactus is a handblown hollow glass model which is actually inside the bottle. If you were looking for a souvenir of the day you splashed out two big ones on some tequila, the glass cactus within this handcrafted artisan bottle is perfect. 

The same care and attention that went into the bottle design is also evident in the tequila. Rather than using the standard oak barrels, Barrique is aged using a series of different, expensive woods such as esche, acacia and cherry wood. This multi-step distilling and aging process creates a clean, pure taste which is distinctive and quite frankly, delicious. 

8. Tequila 1800 Colección Reserva Extra Añejo Tequila

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $1800

Alcohol content: 38%

If you’re trying to decide whether to invest in a piece of artwork or a very special bottle of liquor, purchase the Tequila 1800 Colección and you’ll be able to tick both boxes. A rare bottle of the most expensive tequila which is hard to find, every single edition of this Extra-Anejo tequila is accompanied by a decanter which has been custom designed. This one, created in 2013, was limited to just 100 bottles so they are one of the most elusive tequilas around. 

A new design for the 1800 Colección is released periodically, marking each bottle of tequila as a limited edition piece of artwork. The most recent creation is titled Sireno de Deseo – Mermaid of Desire – and was the brainchild of American artist Gary Baseman. Made from pewter, the silver mermaid encircling the bottle separated from her luchado lover on the stopper represents the fight for true love, and the search for a soul mate.

The bottle is so collectable that it almost doesn’t matter what the tequila is like but the good news is that it tastes as good as it looks. Three years in oak casks give it shades of toasty oak, black pepper and roasted agave, leaving a smooth finish. 

9. Clase Azul Extra-Anejo (Ultra)

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $1700

Alcohol content: 40%

If you want to know what one of the most exclusive tequilas in the world tastes like, then order yourself a bottle of Clase Azul Extra Anejo (Ultra). With only 100 bottles produced every year, if you manage to find some, consider yourself very lucky. It may not be as expensive as some of the tequilas we drooled over here, but it’s still a liquor that’s one of the best you’ll ever taste.

Some might describe the ornate bottle as looking a bit like an oversized salt and pepper shaker. But that would be rude. So instead, we’ll describe it as a curvy decorative decanter with a wide bottom, domed lid and shaped waist and neck. The design is traditional Talavera-style with platinum, 24-carat gold and silver used to elegant effect. 

Every bottle is aged for a minimum of ten years, including three in a charred sherry-oak barrel, a process which gives it a distinctive reddish hue. The finish is warming, with sweet notes of vanilla and honey. 

10. Tres-Cuatro-Cinco Tequila

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anoja

Price: $389

Alcohol content: 43.5%

With a neck that’s as elongated as an upright elephant’s trunk, Tres-Cuatro-Cinco Tequila is presented in a bottle which is elegant and simple. There are no ornate decorations or additions here; just a sophisticated crystal decanter which is signed and numbered by the artist, Alonso Gonzalez Jr. 

You don’t need to be a master linguist to translate the title of the tequila: three, four, five. This name comes from the way this Extra-Anejo is blended, using different tequilas together for maximum depth and flavor. A family recipe, Tres-Cuatro-Cinco Tequila uses 30% of a three-year tequila, 40% from a four-year tequila and the remaining 30% from a five-year tequila. 

This unique aging process produces a tequila which is rich and complex. Hiding these flavors away as a mixer should be a crime, as every mouthful cries out to be savored and enjoyed. Notes of oak, pepper, caramel and chocolate appear on the nose before a soft fruitiness and wafts of coffee come through on the palate. 

11. Fuenteseca 21 Years Old Vintage 1993

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $950

Alcohol content: 43.5%

What were you doing back in 1984? Ghostbusters hit our screens for the first time, Prince released his iconic Purple Rain album and the first music video on MTV was released. It seems like a lifetime away but 1984 is when the current batch of Fuenteseca’s Reserva started to be made. 

The agave was planted in 1984, grown for nine years before being harvested before being distilled and bottled in 1993. But that wasn’t even half the journey. A further decade spent in a low altitude, earthen-floor aging room in Atotonilco el Alto was swiftly followed by 11 years in a high altitude environment in Chapinga. A total of 21 years, plus the nine years for the agave to grow, means that Fuenteseca’s Reserva is the longest aged tequila that it’s currently possible to buy. 

If you want to find out what a 21-year old tequila tastes like, don’t hang around. Once this batch is gone, it’s gone. The aging was primarily carried out in rye whiskey barrels from Canada but a white wine barrel was also used, just to mix things up a bit. This ridiculously long aging process produced a very pale extra-anejo tequila which has sweet butterscotch notes, a spiciness and waves of agave against a backdrop of oaky vanilla. 

12. Patrón x Guillermo Del Toro Añejo Tequila

Type of Tequila: Anejo

Price: $2500

Alcohol content: 40%

Dia de la Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an important date in Mexican culture so perhaps it was inevitable that the most Mexican of drinks should celebrate it. Patrón x Guillermo Del Toro is a tequila that’s been designed by Mexican film director Guillermo Del Toro – and when we say designed, we really do mean designed…

There are some bottles which are simply spectacular and then there’s Patrón x Guillermo Del Toro. We’re not even quite sure where to start. A glass skeleton torso with the tequila split into separate sections set in a presentation case which has a full piece of artwork as a backdrop. The bottle even comes complete with a board and two candles to make sure you celebrate Dia de la Muertos in the proper style. 

This is all finished with otherworldly illustrations and artwork on the exterior of the box, courtesy of Del Toro and artist Guy Davis. The whole package is like no other tequila you will have seen before – or probably ever will again. 

Inside it’s just as startling as there are two separate chambers which hold extra-anejo tequila and orange liqueur. When combined, you get a tequila that’s fruity with notes of vanilla, nuts and honey, with a lasting finish of agave. 

13. Gran Patron Platinum Tequila

Type of Tequila: Blanco

Price: $250

Alcohol content: 40%

At the relatively budget-friendly price of $250 a bottle, it’s not up there with the most expensive tequilas on this list. But in normal circumstances $250 would be a hefty whack to spend on a bottle of tequila, so it more than qualifies for inclusion on this high-quality list. 

The clear, classic glass bottle wouldn’t look out of place at any VIP club. With the curvy lines and heavy stopper, it looks more like a whiskey decanter than a tequila bottle. It’s perfect as a gift too as it comes wrapped in velvet and delivered in a handmade maple wooden box. That’s one gift we wouldn’t mind receiving!

The taste lives up to appearances too as the tequila is one of the smoothest on the tongue that you’ll find. A Blanco is normally set aside for mixing, but that would be a waste of the Gran Patron. It’s described as the first in the world to be an ultra-premium Blanco, delivering light and citrus notes and a spicy peppery finish. Aged and triple-distilled, it’s a beautiful sipping tequila that will leave your mouth feeling clean and refreshed. 

14. Tears of Llorona No. 3

Type of Tequila: Extra-Anejo

Price: $245

Alcohol content: 43%

Grown in the rich volcanic soil around Atotonilco, this tequila was originally intended to end up in the creator’s private collection. The agave grows slowly in this area, and waiting for them to fully ripen requires plenty of patience. Thankfully for all, German Gonzalex opted to create a tequila for the public, twice-distilling the tequila before preparing it for aging. 

The aging process takes five years, using different casks including those previously used for Cognac, whisky and sherry. At maturity, the tequila is blended together to create a bottle which has unusual depth and layers of flavor. The bouquet is made up of black cherries, apples, vanilla and honeysuckle with the richness of creme brûlée, toffee and chocolate on the palate.

You’re left with a lasting impression of spiciness with cloves and cinnamon, complemented by caramel, raisins and oak bringing a sweet smokiness. 

If all of that sounds too complex, all you need to know is that this tequila is for sipping and will remind you heavily of a cognac or whisky rather than the slammers you’ve had before.

15. Casa Dragones Joven

Type of Tequila: Joven

Price: $350

Alcohol Content 40%

Clean and clear, this bottle of tequila lacks any of the fancy adornments seen in some of our other examples but the design is elegant and appealing. A clear bottle with a single logo and a hand-signed and numbered label, it’s finished off with a black ribbon and a plain blue presentation box. If you’re looking to buy a tequila as a gift, this one doesn’t have the same wow factor but what’s in the bottle more than makes up for its unassuming appearance. 

Despite being a Joven, a fact which is unusual in itself, Casa Dragones is very firmly a sipping tequila. Just to be sure there’s no possibility of you using it to make some deluxe cocktails, it states “sipping tequila” on the box. This is a liquor that doesn’t like to mess around. 

The 100% Blue Weber Agave is used to create silver and extra-anejo tequila, blending them together at the last moment to create a multi-faceted drink. With a strong agave flavor, this tequila is quite different from many of the others on this list, but still very delectable. With notes of salt and pepper plus a burst of tangerine, it’s recommended to be drunk with a hazelnut praline dessert to accentuate the nutty flavors. We must eat more delicious desserts you say? If you insist…

Tequila – It Makes Us Happy

Truth be told, any of the exquisite examples above would make any tequila-lover very happy as they are examples of the very best around. A variety of tequilas with different notes, tones and noses, these little beauties are for sipping, not for knocking back as quick as you can. 

And you will want to sip and savor each and every one because there’s none of the throat-burning harshness that you get with a cheaper blend. Fragrant, smooth and with a rounded flavor, these tequilas will redefine your impression of tequila forever. 

FAQs

What is the most expensive Tequila in the World?

The number 1 most expensive Tequila in the world is Tequila Ley Diamante with a market value of $3.5 million dollars.

How much is the most expensive Tequila in the World?

With a market value of 3.5 million dollars, Tequila Let Diamante’s bottle is made out of five pounds of costly platinum which makes up for the large chunk of this costly Tequila.

Where does tequila come from?

In the same way that only sparkling wine from Champagne in France can be called champagne, there are very strict rules about tequila too. It can only be made in five regions in Mexico and must be distilled from the blue agave plant. 

An alternative to tequila is mezcal, a drink that can be made from any one of 28 different agave plants. All tequilas are mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila! 

Is a mixto tequila different from tequila?

To be classified as a tequila, the drink must contain at least 51% blue agave. A mixto tequila meets this requirement – but nothing more. The rest of the drink is made up of fillers and other additives which can be hit and miss. Mixto tequila is best saved for cocktails but be warned, they’ll burn the throat on the way down. They aren’t aged in the same way as more expensive tequilas and as a result, haven’t been mellowed. 

For the more discerning palate there are agave tequilas. These are made from 100% blue agave and have a softer, more rounded flavor that’s more enjoyable to drink. There are a range of different notes and flavors depending on how the tequila was distilled and aged. 

Are there different types of tequila?

Tequila is classified into one of five different types depending on how long it’s been aged:

Blanco: A more inexpensive type of tequila, blanco is clear and aged for very little time, and sometimes no time at all. It’s usually kept in stainless steel vats rather than wooden casks and is great for mixing rather than sipping.

Joven: Sometimes known as golden tequila, Joven are sometimes flavored with caramel, syrups or oak extract to provide a deeper flavor. They may also have glycerin to promote a smooth finish.

Reposado: Named after a period of “repose” reposado tequila is rested for between two and nine months in a wooden barrel, typically oak. Many distilleries use bourbon casks to add more flavor. A reposado is a soft yellow, taking the color from the barrel and loses much of the unpleasant tequila burn.

Anejo: Dark in color, an anejo has been rested for up to three years in wooden casks. The barrels help the flavor in the tequila to develop more roundly and it’s common to have notes of agave, oak, butterscotch and vanilla.  

Extra-Anejo:  A relatively new category introduced for the tequilas which have been aged for even longer. Left to rest for more than three years, and in some cases more than 10 years. With a very rich taste, an extra-anejo tequila has more in common with an expensive whiskey or cognac than the slammers usually found in bars. 

When Life Gives You Lemons – Drink Tequila!

Now you’re an expert on the different types of expensive tequilas, the only thing left to do is to decide which one to try first – and to save up for it!

Let us know whether you’ve tried any of the luxury tequilas in the comments below.