Tequila is slowly making the transition from spring break shot glasses to more distinguished liquor cabinets. Expensive bottles of tequila, increasingly complex tasting tequilas, and collector’s editions are now commonplace within the tequila circle. But what are the most expensive tequila brands, and why are they so valuable?
If you want to begin your search for some of the most valuable and sought-after tequila, we recommend you start with these eight brands. This is not a list of the most expensive bottles of tequila in the world, however. Some of those specimens have sold for tens of thousands of dollars and even millions of dollars. There are plenty of sites online that list these outrageous bottles of tequila. They might be interesting, but they won’t do you much good unless you have obscene amounts of money to spend. Instead, we have compiled the most expensive brands in general. These brands offer high-quality and high-priced tequilas that are still available to purchase.
Some brands of tequila also offer limited edition, collector, or signature bottles which are priced much higher than their regular offerings. We tried to include only the brands whose tequilas are commonly more expensive.
All real tequila is produced in Mexico from the hearts of blue agave. All the flavor profiles and tastes of the different brands come from variations in distillation, aging, and mixing. These are the most expensive tequila brands.
#8 Don Julio
Don Julio is the largest brand of Tequila by brand value and the eighth-largest by volume. The Don Julio brand was created in 1942 by Don Julio González-Frausto Estrada when he was just 17 years old. Among the more affordable of the tequilas on this list, Don Julio tequilas are a chance to taste history.
Among these premium tequilas, the Ultima Reserva Extra Añejo currently sells for around $490 per bottle and their 1842 signature bottles sell for around $170 per bottle.
#7 Tequila Komos
Tequila Komos is famous for being one of the new ultra-luxury tequilas and receiving the highest rating of any tequila in the world. This includes the first 100-point score ever given to a tequila. Their process includes taking inspiration from Mediterranean winemakers. They also sell their top-quality tequila in award-winning bottles that are designed to be eye-catching centerpieces of your liquor collection. Each bottle is dipped into a reactive glaze that changes color when fired. This means that every bottle of Tequila Komos is unique and one-of-a-kind.
The most expensive bottles of Tequila Komos include the XO Extra Añejo, which starts at around $2,300 per bottle, and the Extra Añejo which sells for around $425 per bottle.
#6 Patrón
This brand probably has the widest range of prices on this list. It is also among the most recognizable for the huge array of tequilas they offer. The first Patrón tequila was produced by one of the oldest distilleries in Mexico, the Casa 7 Leguas. Patrón was bought by Bacardi in 2018 and enjoys a special place in American culture from rap and country music to nightclubs and small bars.
The most expensive bottles of Patrón, like the En Lalique: Serie 2, sell for around $7,500 a bottle. Other mid-range bottles, like the Gran Patrón Burdeos, sell for around $510 per bottle. Prices for their cheaper tequilas fall just below the $100 range.
#5 Maestro Dobel
Maestro Dobel was created by Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta, who was the eleventh-generation leader of the Jose Cuervo brand of tequila. The Dobel name is an acronym of the first letter of each part of his name. Their bottles are known for being designed after 19th-century laboratory flasks and bottles. This high-quality tequila was only introduced in 2008. This tequila is aged up to three years in white oak barrels from Europe.
The most expensive bottle of Maestro Dobel available today is their 50 Silver Oak Edition Extra Añejo Tequila which sells for around $1,265 per bottle. It is known for its notes of citrus like mandarins and dried fruits like dates and figs. The Atelier Extra Añejo Tequila – Trajinera Edition comes in a bright bottle designed to evoke the alebrijes of Mexican culture. It has notes of almonds, vanilla, and other spices. It sells for around $1,093 per bottle.
#4 AsomBroso
AsomBroso is another high-quality tequila, having received the Robb Report’s Best of the Best award, and the Francisco World Spirits Competition’s Top Tequila award. Some of the most expensive and sought-after tequilas produced by AsomBroso are sold in limited quantities every year. This includes their eye-catching decanters, produced by Italian artist Luciano Gambaro who creates these art pieces on the island of Murano in Italy.
Some of the most expensive bottles of AsomBroso include The Collaboration, which is aged in American Oak Cabernet Sauvignon casks, and sells for around $2,250 per bottle. Their Del Porto tequila is aged in port barrels from Portugal. The iconic decanter is modeled after a crystal decanter discovered in a European castle in the 1700s. It took over twenty years for artist Luciano Gambaro and AsomBroso CEO and founder Ricardo Gamarra to recreate.
#3 Código 1530
Código 1530 traces its history hundreds of years to the earliest producers of tequila in Mexico. According to the brand, their recipe is what was enjoyed by locals for many generations before finally being shared with outsiders under the Código 1530 name. This tequila is cooked and distilled twice over a 15-day process and aged in French white oak red wine barrels from Napa Valley.
Their premier tequila is the 14 year Extra Anejo, Double-barrel aged Tequila which, as its name implies is aged over 14 years and only 400 bottles are available. This is one of the oldest and rarest bottles of tequila you will ever find, selling for around $4,485 per bottle. The brand mark of the Jerusalem cross with the deep, rich amber color will throw you back in time to the shores of Mexico during the 1700s. A non-limited-edition bottle of Código 1530 like the Playboy Rare Hare Añejo sells for around $950 per bottle.
#2 Cincoro
Cincoro was founded by five NBA owners. These are Emilia Fazzalari and Wyc Grousbeck from the the Boston Celtics, Jeanie Buss from the Los Angeles Lakers, Wes Edens from the Milwaukee Bucks, and most notably, Michael Jordan who owns the Charlotte Hornets. Cincoro bottles evoke the agave leaf with five sides to reflect the five owners who founded the brand.
There were only 523 bottles of their signature Founder’s Series Extra Añejo tequila produced, and these start at around $5,000 per bottle. More typical bottles of Cincoro tequila include options like the Cincoro Gold bottles. Cincoro Gold is actually a mixture of four of Cincoro’s award-winning tequilas. This tequila is aged for over 40 months and has notes of honey, oak, vanilla, dried fruit, and a mixture of other intense flavors. Cincoro Gold sells for around $350 per bottle.
#1 Clase Azul
Clase Azul is a relatively recent brand of tequila that celebrates Mexico and Mexican artisans. Their iconic decanters are all hand-designed and decorated by locals and stand as tributes to Mexican culture. Each bottle of Clase Azul is just as memorable and valuable as the tequila within. The brand describes these creations as “a poem in which each piece is a verse”.
Among the most valuable of the Clase Azul lineup are the Joven Día de Muertos 2020 Edition, which sells for around $6,300 per bottle, the Pink Reposado which sells for around $5,300 per bottle, and the Joven Limited Pink Edition which sells for around $4,500 per bottle. If you want to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture while tasting some of the best tequila in the world, Clase Azul is for you.
Naturally, new bottles and new brands will change the landscape of the most expensive tequilas. This list is not exhaustive, and depending on your local distributor and availability of these bottles, you might find more expensive brands in your area. Even cheaper tequila brands like 1800 and Jose Cuervo often produce collector’s editions or collaborations that can sell for thousands of dollars. If you are a newcomer to tequila or a connoisseur, you are sure to find a bottle to meet your tastes on this list.
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