Hornitos Añejo Cristalino

• NOM: 1102

• Distillery: Tequila Sauza

• Parent Company: Beam Suntory

• Price: $35

Hornitos is part of the Tequila Sauza portfolio under parent company Beam Suntory, most well known for its Bourbons, like Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, and Knob Creek, and its Japanese Whiskies, like Suntory, Hibiki, and Yamazaki. The Cristalino expression is another entry-level option for cocktails or beginners to the category. This product is triple-distilled, unlike the other Hornitos expressions, which are all double-distilled in column and pot stills, and aged in American white oak barrels for 12 months. After aging, the tequila undergoes charcoal filtration to remove the color yet retain full flavor from oak aging.

Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado Cristalino

• NOM: 1112

• Distillery: La Rojeña

• Parent Company: Proximo Spirits

• Price: $35

Jose Cuervo Tradicional is the 100 % blue agave option from the Cuervo brand, separate from their popular mixto option Especial. This expression is a blend of Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado, aged 2 months in oak barrels, and Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo, aged a minimum of 3 years in American and French oak barrels. The final product is charcoal filtered for clarity and smoothness, bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV) and a perfect entry-level Cristalino option. 

To learn more about Jose Cuervo, click here.

Hussong's Platinum Añejo

• NOM: 1489

• Distillery: Leyros

• Parent Company: McCormick

• Price: $50

Hussong's Tequila is most recognizable for its clay jug packaging. The brand draws its name after Juan Hussong and the famous Hussong Cantina in Ensenada, Baja, Mexico, which is often credited with creating the margarita cocktail. Hussong uses a unique cooking method starting with five-year-old agave sourced from three tequila-producing regions, including the highlands and Jalisco's lowlands. Half of their agave is slowly steam-roasted in traditional stone walled brick ovens for approximately 45 hours, while the second half is cooked in stainless steel autoclaves for 35 hours. The agave is shredded, fermented for 50 hours, then double-distilled. This expression is aged for 15 months in oak barrels, then charcoal filtered to produce a crystal-clear appearance, and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

Maestro Dobel Diamante

• NOM: 1112

• Distillery: La Rojeña

• Parent Company: Proximo Spirits

• Price: $50

Dobel is short for Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta, the brand's founder, owner, and the 11th generation of tequila producers. This product is a blend of Reposado, Añejo, and Extra-Añejo tequila, matured in toasted new white oak barrels from the Balkan region in Eastern Europe, double filtered to remove color and add smoothness, and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV). Maestro Dobel Tequila is sourced and crafted from a family-owned, single-estate, 100% blue agave. The bottle is a modern twist on a vintage apothecary-style bottle. The design of this heavily embossed bottle is inspired by the laboratory sample bottles used by the distillery’s Maestro Tequileros. The Diamante expression is credited as one of the category's first Cristalino Tequilas.

To learn more about Maestro Dobel, click here.

Gran Coramino Reposado Cristalino (New in 2022)

• NOM: 1112

• Distillery: La Rojeña

• Parent Company: Proximo Spirits

• Price: $50

The Gran Coramino brand is a joint venture partnership between 11th generation Tequila-produce Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta and actor and comedian Kevin Hart. The brand launched in 2022 and currently has two expressions: Reposado Cristalino and Anejo. The brand uses only the hearts of the agave, hand-picked at full maturity, slow-cooked in traditional stone ovens for several days, and gently cooled to preserve the roasted agave flavor. The extracted juices are slowly fermented for several days, then double-distilled in copper pot stills. This expression is first matured in medium-toasted Eastern European oak barrels. Next, the tequila is cask-finished for several months in first-fill Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks from Napa Valley, California, then slow-filtered for smoothness and clarity while preserving the unique barrel and agave aromas and flavors. This product is bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

1800 Añejo Cristalino

• NOM: 1112

• Distillery: La Rojeña

• Parent Company: Proximo Spirits

• Price: $60

1800 Tequila is named for the year that it is believed an agave spirit was first aged in a barrel. The tequila is double-distilled from 100% Blue Agave sourced from the Highlands (Los Altos) in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The glass bottle is a trapezoid and draws inspiration from the centuries-old Mayan stone pyramids found throughout Mexico. The 1800 Cristalino Añejo is aged in American and new French Limousin Oak barrels for 16 months, then finished in Port Wine Casks for an additional 6 months before being meticulously filtered and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

To learn more about 1800, click here.

Herradura Ultra Añejo Cristalino

NOM: 1119

Distillery: Casa Herradura

Parent Company: Brown-Forman

Price: $60

Herradura Tequila is produced in Amatitán, in the state of Jalisco. Since 1870 this site has been one of the last tequila-producing Haciendas in Mexico (Hacienda San José del Refugio), unique because there are several strict guidelines to be considered an authentic Hacienda. A more modern distillery called Casa Herradura was built on-site next to the original factory in 1963. Since then, the brand has innovated by introducing the first Reposado tequila and creating the Extra Añejo category. The brand was purchased in 2007 by Brown-Forman, the parent company of Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, and Woodford Reserve. Herradura Ultra Anejo Cristalino was created in 2014. This product is a blend of their Anejo tequilas, aged a minimum of 25 months in barrels that previously held Jack Daniel's, Old Forester, or Woodford Reserve, and a touch of agave nectar for sweetness. The final blend is filtered to remove the color and enhance the smoothness and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

To learn more about Herradura, click here.

Rock N Roll Cristalino Añejo

• NOM: 1499

• Distillery: Casa Tequilera de Arandas

• Parent Company: Rock N Roll

• Price: $66

Rock N Roll Tequila is easily recognizable by its unique and patented glass guitar-shaped bottles. The brand is owned by an Oklahoma-based investment group and is partnered with Bob Stoops, the legendary former football coach of the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!). The brand is produced at Casa Aceves under the supervision of Master Distiller Jose Aceves, a third-generation tequila producer. The Cristalino Anejo is doubled distilled from highland (los altos) sourced agave, aged a minimum of 12 months, filtered, and bottled at 80 proof (40 %).

Don Julio 70

• NOM: 1449

• Distillery: Tequila Don Julio

• Parent Company: Diageo

• Price: $70

The Don Julio brand officially launched in 1989. Two years earlier, Eduardo "Lalo" González García (Sr.), the son of "Don" Julio González Estrada, created a premium tequila for a dinner party to celebrate his father's 45th anniversary after he had recently retired due to health issues. Lalo Sr. wanted to create a premium tequila that would honor not only his father's legacy but also change the perception of tequila, which at the time had a bad reputation, especially in the United States. "Don" Julio began working as a janitor at seven years old at a tequila distillery in Atotonilco El Alto, east of Guadalajara in Jalisco. Ten years later, he bought his first distillery in 1942 at 17 with a personal loan. The family sold the Don Julio brand in 2003, and Diageo currently owns the brand. The Don Julio distillery is still located in the highland town of Atotonilco El Alto. Don Julio 70 was released in 2012 to commemorate "Don" Julio González Estrada's 70th anniversary of making tequila. This expression was the category's first cristalino or "claro" Añejo, aged 18 months in used American white-oak barrels, charcoal filtered, and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

Gran Centenario Cristalino (New in 2022)

• NOM: 1112

• Distillery: La Rojeña

• Parent Company: Proximo Spirits

• Price: $80

The Gran Centenario brand was founded in 1857 by Lázaro Gallardo and is still produced in the highlands of Jalisco at Ex Hacienda Los Camichines. After harvest, all the agave pinas are cooked in traditional masonry furnaces for 48 hours, fermented, then double distilled. The brand's house style is called "Selección Suave," a technique created by Lázaro Gallardo, which blends newly rested tequilas with the smoothest aged reserves to yield a rich, complex taste profile. The brand's logo is an angel carrying a trumpet because the legend goes that Lázaro Gallardo entrusted an angel to protect his agave plants, and the trumpet would alert him to threats such as plagues and cold weather. Finally, the brand is recognizable for its unique Art Deco-inspired bottles. Gran Centenario Cristalino Tequila is a blend of their Añejo, aged 16 months in new American white oak barrels, and their Extra-Añejo, aged 4 years (48 months) in new American white oak. The final blend is cask-finished in ex-Calvados casks, filtered through a meticulous process that includes Mexican silver, and bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV). 

Avión Reserva Cristalino

• NOM: 1416

• Distillery: Productos Finos de Agave

• Parent Company: Pernod Ricard

• Price: $150

Avión Tequila was created in 2009 and is produced at the Productos Finos de Agave distillery in Jesús María in eastern Jalisco. The brand uses Highland agave, sourced from some of the highest elevation sites in Jalisco. The agave is slowly roasted in brick ovens for three days, fermented in open stainless steel tanks, then double distilled in pot stills handmade in Jesús María. The brand has been part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio since 2018. Avión Reserva Cristalino is a speciality añejo cristalino and the brand's newest line extension . This product is a blend of añejo tequila, aged a minimum of 12 months in American oak barrels, with a touch of extra-añejo. The final blend is double-charcoal filtered for clarity and smoothness and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

To learn more about Avión, click here.

Maestro Dobel 50 Extra Añejo

• NOM: 1112

• Distillery: La Rojeña

• Parent Company: Proximo Spirits

• Price: $150

Dobel is short for Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta, the brand's founder, owner, and 11th-generation tequila producer. Maestro Dobel 50th is an Extra Añejo Cristalino Tequila created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the brand's founder Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta. This product strikes a balance between tradition and innovation. This expression uses agave sourced exclusively from a single family-owned estate at the base of a volcano in the lowlands of Jalisco. This agave is fully mature, between 8-12 years old, and harvested at the peak of its sugar concentration. The pinas are slow-cooked for 72 hours to extract the sugars, fermented, and double distilled in copper pot stills. This expression is aged in American and Eastern European oak barrels for a minimum of 3 years, filtered to remove the color, and bottled at 80 proof (40 % ABV).

To learn more about Maestro Dobel, click here.