The margarita, an ultra-popular tequila-based cocktail, may be something almost everyone knows (and drinks), but tequila has never been a top feature when it comes to liquor supremacy. Back in the day, tequila was something you would drink on a dare or take as shots during happy hour, either with a lick of salt or a wedge of lime or both, and regret it the morning after. But tequila has come a very long way – once only fitting blue-collar palates now command single malt whiskey-style prices. Tequila has grown in popularity over the years, driving sophistication, and now a few pioneer brands successfully positioned tequila in the high-end liquor category on par with Cognac and Scotch.
Types of Tequila (What’s Expensive Tequila and What’s Not)
Many people know these two types of tequila: cheap tequila (burns your throat and ends with a devastating hangover) and expensive, premium tequila (the one you want to savor and will probably drain your bank account). But, in fact, there are five different types of tequila, depending on its aging time. Usually, tequila takes 14 to 21 days of aging after distillation. Once it surpasses that ‘resting’ time, it will be called aged tequila (aged more than 21 days) or golden tequila (aged over 21 days, aged in oak casks). But what’s the difference between the five tequila types?
Blanco (Silver)
This spirit isn’t aged in barrels, so it’s clear and in its truest form, featuring the purest flavors of the blue agave plant used to make tequilas. Many distillers and tequila drinkers call this the ‘essence of tequila’ as it offers the most genuine characters, especially the naturally sweet juice of the blue agave.
Reposado (Aged)
It’s aged or rested tequila, often aged anywhere between two months to an entire year. Reposado tequila features a light golden hue after getting aged in French oak or American white oak barrels. The aging time also allows it to develop a slightly softer flavor than blanco tequila.
Joven (Gold Tequila)
It means young in Spanish, known as the gold tequila or “tequila oro” for its rich light brown to golden hue because of the added flavoring agents: oak tree extracts, sugar syrup, glycerin, caramel coloring. Joven tequila is often a mixto tequila. It’s basically tequila blanco and reposado tequila (unaged and aged tequila, respectively) mixed together, which tends to be a cheap find. It’s usually best used for making mixed drinks like margaritas.
Añejo (Extra-Aged)
It means old in Spanish. Añejo tequilas usually rest for at least a year, but often less than three years, in French oak barrels, cognac, or bourbon barrels. It’s an amber golden tequila that tends to have a complex yet balanced agave and rich but mellow oaky flavor for the extended aging process. Some call it the vintage tequila, the ideal sipping tequila, or an alternative spirit to whiskey-based cocktails.
Extra-Añejo (Ultra-Aged)
This tequila has been aged inside oak barrels for over three years. They are known as ultra-premium bottles of tequila with a pronounced oak flavor, and you can notice that in the prices of bottles of Extra-Añejo tequilas. But ultra-aged tequilas were only recognized in 2006 when the Mexican government gave it the ‘extra-añejo’ label. You might notice that extra-añejo comes with incredibly high price tags, and thus the majority of the most expensive tequilas you can buy are extra-añejo tequilas.
What Makes Them the Most Expensive Tequilas?
You can purchase tequilas like the Don Julio Real Tequila for around $400 or a bottle of Rey Sol Anejo Tequila for a hundred bucks or less. But then there are truly premium, highly expensive tequila bottles that will cost you thousands and even millions! A bottle of tequila can cost a certain amount for many reasons:
High-Quality Raw Materials
Technically, a spirit can be labeled real ‘tequila’ with only 51% blue weber agave plant (+49% cheap, nasty fillers). But if it’s high-quality, usually expensive, ‘real’ tequila, it will never be less than 100% Tequilliana Weber blue agave plant.
Aging and Distillation
That includes the different types of barrels, from vintage Bordeaux casks to Portuguese port wine barrels, and different lengths of time inside those barrels. Ex-oak barrels are relatively easy to find and inexpensive than cognac or sherry oak barrels.
Expensive Bottling
It can be a beautiful amber bottle or hand-blown crystal decanters designed by seasoned artists and artisans. Then there are real gold labels and pure Platinum bottles encrusted with real diamonds. The bottles can sometimes be pricier than the tequila itself! Related Reading: 10 Brilliant Beer Bottle Designs
Top 10 Most Expensive Tequila in the World
There’s expensive booze, and then there’s lifestyle statements. The following collection of the most expensive tequila are definitely in the latter category. Many of these are limited in their production runs, and feature exotic and highly artistic bottles to house the fine tequila awaiting you within. Without further ado, the 10 most expensive tequila bottles:
1. Tequila Ley .925 Diamante – Most Expensive Tequila Bottle
Price per bottle: $3.5 MillionType of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
If there’s an ultimate tequila collector’s item, it’s going to be the .925 Diamante. But in this case, you’re not paying for the alcoholic drink so much as you’re paying for the bottle. While the tequila inside is a premium, 100% agave plant aged in oak barrels for seven years, it’s the bottle that brought this tequila to the top spot on our list of the most expensive tequilas in the world. What gives the Tequila Ley .925 Diamante its unbeatable multi million-dollar price tag is the one-of-a-kind dragon-themed bottle made of 4.4 pounds of pure platinum with 4100 perfectly white diamonds. It was a combined effort of 17 Mexican artists and artisans that took ten months to complete! The ‘most expensive bottle’ that weighs around eight kilograms has been exhibited all over the world, including in London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Madrid, and Hong Kong. If you happen to get a glass of this tequila, its well-rounded, intense flavors demand to be savored.
2. Ley .925 Ultra Premium Tequila
Price per bottle: $3,500-$225,000Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
If the diamond-encrusted expensive tequila bottle is too much of an extravagance, the brand has a range of still splurge-worthy bottles of tequila. What’s inside is the same tequila, except for the Grand Reserve, but the actual price tag depends on the handcrafted bottle.
Grand Reserve ‘Pasion Azteca’: 4-year-old aged, 100% blue agave ($3,500)Silver & Gold: Añejo tequila aged for six years, a limited edition of 999 bottles ($25,000)Pure Platinum & Yellow Gold: 100% blue agave aged for six years inside a bottle engraved with 32 states in the Mexican Republic, a limited edition of 33 bottles ($150,000)Platinum & Pure White Gold: Añejo tequila aged for six years with only 33 bottles made ($225,000)
3. Clase Azul 15th Anniversary Edition
Price per bottle: $30,000Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
Clase Azul is already known for its artisanal crystal decanters and expensive tequilas, but its most prized offering yet is a $30,000 Clase Azul Extra Anejo Anniversary Edition, 15 years after its debut in 1997. The limited-edition fine tequila remains the most expensive and exclusive selection from the brand since they only released a limited run of only fifteen bottles to celebrate 15 years in business. The ultra-matured reserve tequila is a blend of two reserves. One was aged in Spanish barrels for 15 years and another aged for 11 years in Productos Finos de Agave Distillery. The result is an indulgent drink (not meant to be drunk as a shot, however) inside a real work of art, a bottle made of ceramic with 24-karat gold decorations, among other artistic flourishes.
4. Patron En Lalique Serie 2
Price per bottle: $7,500Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
Patron’s signature squat glass bottle has been an iconic symbol for the amazing tequila for a while, but the En Lalique comes with a lot more, including the price. Made from 100% Weber blue agave plants, the Serie 2 tequila is the second coming from the mastery collaboration between the premier house of fine tequilas and the masters of French crystal. The expensive tequila itself is different from other Patron tequilas. It rested in American and French oak barrels for seven years, then inside seasoned sherry barrels another year. Hence, its signature fruity tequila flavors with noticeable characters of sherry. But if all that doesn’t make the $7,500 price tag worth it, don’t forget that there are only 299 hand-numbered Serie 2 bottles handcrafted in Alsace, France.
5. Codigo 1530 13-Year-Aged
Price per bottle: $3,500Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
Codigo 1530 released its special project, their first-ever tequila aged in Cognac barrels. It’s also their rarest and priciest bottles yet, an exclusive and limited release with only 350 bottles produced. This Extra-Añejo is a category on its own. While many of the most expensive tequilas here have pricier bottles than pricier tequilas, this one takes ‘premium spirit’ to a finer level. It aged in carefully selected Napa Valley Cabernet French White Oak wine barrels for 13 years and rested for another six months inside French Cognac casks. The result is a decadent, rare ultra-aged Añejo with complex aroma and flavors. And a high price tag!
6. Patron X Guillermo del Toro
Price per bottle: $2,500 (once retailed at $400)Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
There’s no better way to celebrate Dia de la Muertos in style than a glass of this Extra-Añejo – if you’re willing to shell out a few thousand for a bottle, that is. It’s a blend of aged tequilas averaging five years resting time in oak barrels. It once retailed at $400 but now reaches around $2,500 or more. Why, you ask? Two things make this tequila an increasingly rare find – first, the otherworldly glass skeleton torso bottle. Second, the dual-sided bottle that holds the double-aged spirit and the orange liqueur to create a neatly sinful cocktail.
7. Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario
Price per bottle: $2,400Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
This ultra-aged spirit is both intense in looks and flavor that will leave you charmed with its warmth and modesty, although you can never say the price is modest at all. It has every making of premium, most expensive tequilas. It starts from using single crop, mature agave plants aged in American and French oak barrels. Then it’s blended with tequilas from the legendary demijohns to give it the signature chocolate and vanilla notes followed by a butterscotch aftertaste. Finally, Jose Cuervo adds another year of aging in Spanish imported sherry barrels for a smoother, creamier ultra-aged tequila different from those exclusively aged in oak. But part of this Extra-Añejo’s high price tag is the sleek hand-blown crystal bottle that makes the tequila looks like designer perfume.
8. Barrique De Ponciano Porfidio Tequila
Price per bottle: $2,200Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
With only 2,000 bottles of the Barrique De Ponciano Porfidio produced every year, it’s one of the most exclusive bottles of tequilas on the planet. So, it’s not surprising why you have to shell out thousands to get your hands on a single bottle. The tequila itself is made of 100% blue agave plants, double distilled in French Limousin wood barrels for ten years. It’s what gives it that deep, matured, delicate taste that will impress tequila enthusiasts. Although the 17-inch tall, handcrafted glass bottle looks quite simple at first glance, part of the high price of this tequila is the bottle itself. The display alone screams ‘expensive tequila’ with the 21-karat gold engraving.
9. Asombroso Del Porto
Price per bottle: $2,700, sometimes on sale for $1,995Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
This ‘superfine’ spirit is part of the brand’s vintage limited collection that beautifully combines aesthetics and premium taste. Made from 100% hand-selected 9-year-old blue agave, this tequila is double aged for 12 years in both French oak barrels and previously used port wine barrels. It’s what gives the Del Porto the signature sweet taste, making it a great sipping drink. In short, this tequila takes over 20 years of turnaround time! That’s why it’s one of the high-quality, expensive tequilas in the world. Besides that, the glass decanter is an artifact itself, handcrafted by an Italian artist. It’s a re-creation of an 18th-century decanter found in a Portuguese castle, which took around two years to make.
10. 1800 Tequila Coleccion
Price per bottle: $1,470 (or more)Type of Tequila: Extra-Añejo
1800 Tequila has a standard range of tequilas, almost every type of tequila produced by bigger brands, usually priced around the $40 mark. However, there’s one priced way over the line – 1800 Tequila Coleccion. It was only released during the finest years of the 1800 Tequila production. And you can find bottles from years like 2001, 2010, 2012, and 2013. Every edition features a custom Belgian crystal bottle crafted by bigwig artists like Bosco Sodi and Gary Baseman. The rare double-distilled beverage, aged in French oak for ten years, plus the even rarer bottling, means you’ll have to pay at least $1400, but most likely more, if you want to get ahold of a bottle of this golden spirit and one of the most expensive tequilas in the world. While most 1800 tequilas are for shots or making cocktails, the 1800 Coleccion is meant to be sipped slowly and savored.
Tequila vs. Mezcal – What’s the Difference?
All tequilas are mezcals, but not all mezcals are tequilas. While mezcals can be from any type of agave (there are over 30 varieties of agave), tequila can come only from agave Tequilana or blue agave. There’s also a geographical overlap between tequilas and mezcals. Both primarily come from Mexico but are produced in different regions. Mezcal is made from nine places: San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Puebla, Durango, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, and Michoacan. Meanwhile, tequila can only be produced in Jalisco (where the town of Tequila is situated). Although some from limited municipalities in Nayarit, Michoacan, Tamaulipas, and Guanajuato are acceptable.
How Do You Drink Tequila?
So, you’ve got a bottle of tequila or thinking of getting one, maybe one of the most expensive tequilas mentioned above. Now, it’s time to drink it, but what is the best way to drink tequila? Obviously, you can drink it however you want – may it be from glass or the bottle! But a good-quality tequila needs to be savored. And the best way to taste it depends on what type of tequila you have.
Tequila Blanco: Silver tequila is smooth tequila – best for tequila shots, tequila-based cocktails, and punch bowls. Joven or Tequila Mixtos: Best for cooking or making punch bowls. The lightness and mildness of this blended tequila are great for making marinades, not so much for sipping but awesome for cocktails where the tequila flavor is negligible, like a Long Island iced tea. Tequila Reposado: The ideal ‘all-purpose tequila.’ Serve over ice for sipping, add to your hot toddy, or cocktail-wise, use it to make a classic margarita. Reposado also pairs well with tropical fruits, oranges, and lime.Tequila Añejo: Drink chilled or over ice like you would drink whiskey or scotch. Or if you’re an aficionado, serve it at room temperature – it’s how you enjoy the good stuff, gentlemen.
What’s the Best Way to Drink ‘the Most Expensive Tequila’?
No one wants to tell people how to drink their spirit. But for a bottle that you bought for over $1000, or remarkably more, you want to take the tequila seriously! There are a few things you should never do with ultra-premium, expensive tequila bottles you dropped a pretty penny on. Don’t chill it or drown it in ice, don’t shoot it, mix it, or trap it in a tiny glass. Expensive tequilas, mostly Extra-Añejos, are sipping tequila – something to drink straight up and something to savor. Drink it neat, at room temperature, to savor its years of aging, both the aroma and taste.
Expensive Tequila Brands: Conclusion
So that about wraps it up for our round-up of the most outrageously expensive tequila bottles of the modern age. If you do end up blowing a small fortune on one (or more) of these fine tequilas, definitely make sure to let us know how it went down in the comments below!
