13 best tequilas that are made for summer sipping

Tequila is one of those drinks that evokes instant memories and associations. It might be the good times of partying, dancing and celebrating, or the slightly less appealing times of having one too many shots on a night out.

The truth is, tequila is an incredible spirit that has been around for centuries and has become a cornerstone for some of the world’s most famous cocktails . It’s also a spirit that is highly misunderstood.

Very few are aware of the sipping ritual of this agave nectar, yet, when they try it, they notice a whole other side and a new-found appreciation for it. True, quality tequila is diverse and sophisticated, from unaged, lively blancos to complex barrel-aged añejos.

While tequila may seem like quite an expensive product to buy, you can typically make around 15 cocktails per bottle. Everything from a paloma to a margarita is super easy to make and, if you want to up your game, just buy (or make) a bottle of flavoured syrup (mango, peach, strawberry, honeycomb, etc) to completely change the flavour profile of the drink. Each serve ends up costing you about £4 in the end, enabling you to save a huge amount of money in comparison to going out for the night.

Whatever your budget and preferred flavours, whether you like straight sipping or cocktails , these tequilas are expertly made to redefine how you see this iconic spirit .

How we tested the best tequilas

Each tequila was tasted in universal spirit tasting glasses, to ensure there was no bias. Left at room temperature, each tequila was sipped and tasted three times, to maximise the quality of the review. We also created three cocktails – a paloma, margarita and tequila old fashioned – with each tequila, to see how well the agave spirit presented itself within a serving. It was important to get a sense of each tequila in a neat format, alongside its ability to stand out among other flavours as part of a cocktail.

The best tequilas for 2024 are:

• Best overall – Maestro dobel diamante tequila: £50.39, Vipbottles.co.uk
• Best budget buy – Espolòn tequila blanco: £31.24, Amazon.co.uk
• Best celebrity tequila – Teremana reposado: £44.99, Amazon.co.uk
• Best for margaritas – Patrón reposado: £46, Amazon.co.uk
• Best luxury bottle – Clase Azul reposado: £154.95, Masterofmalt.com

Maestro dobel diamante tequila

Espolòn tequila blanco

Olmeca altos tequila plata

Herradura plata blanco

El Mayor blanco

Patrón reposado

Clase Azul reposado

Don Fulano reposado

El Rayo reposado

G4 reposado

Teremana reposado

Padre Azul añejo

Casamigos añejo

Why you can trust us

The verdict: Tequilas