BEST Tequila and Mezcal in the World for 2022
Experience the World’s Top Tequila According to San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Here’s an amazing list for your 5 de Mayo plans!
First, let’s share why this list is the best!
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) is an annual judging of over 3,000 different spirits.
The SFWSC is the oldest spirits competition in the US, dating back to 1980, and the second oldest in the world. It has an unrivaled reputation for the quality of its judging, many of whom are among the world’s leading experts on spirits, as well as the scope of the categories of spirits that it judges.
Gold winner:
Proximo Spirits (Nom 1122) was a double winner in the Tequila category with Gold Outstanding medals for its 1800 Milenio Tequila Extra Anejo and for its 1800 Tequila Reserva Anejo. The 1800 Milenio is an Extra Anejo Tequila that is finished in Cognac barrels of French oak. The judging panel described the Tequila as:
Exquisite varietal typicity with apple sweetness underpinned by toffee, humidor and leather on the nose. A judicious balance of oak with an abundance of prunes, dark chocolate and nuts on a drying palate. Elegantly cinnamon-spiced with a vanilla finish.
The 1800 Tequila Reserva Anejo is matured for up to three years in barrels of French oak with a small quantity matured in barrels of American oak. The judging panel described it as:
A tempting nose delivers dark wine and a touch of florality before an essence of smoky bonfire unfurls. Rich sugar and spices dance over deep wood with notes of pineapple and orange leading into a complex, roasted agave finish. Sumptuous.
Rounding out the Gold Outstanding medalists was the:
image; Don Fulano, Anejo Tequila Photo, courtesy Don Fulano
Best Mezcal:
The winner of the Best in Category Mezcal is Mezcal Amarás. It was also picked as the Best in Show White Spirit, the highest accolade a white spirit can receive. Amarás is an artisanal mezcal producer based in Oaxaca.
Best Silver/Gold Tequila:
Calle 23, Tequila Blanco Criollo is produced by Capacha. The Tequila is manufactured at Tequila Quiote (NOM 1433) in San Francisco de Asís, in the Los Altos region of Jalisco, using small piñas from a variety of blue agave called Criollo. These piñas are about one-quarter to one-half the size of regular piñas and are sometimes referred to as “baby piñas.” The Tequila is bottled at an unusually high 49.3% ABV.
Best Reposado Tequila:
Cierto Reposado Tequila, Private Collection. Cierto, made by Enrique Fonseca and Sergio Mendoza, 4th and 5th generation agaveros, is one of the most awarded Tequilas in Mexico.
At last count, the company has won 278 international awards across its Tequila range. The Fonseca and Mendoza families have been producing Tequila since the 1800s, and are now among the largest growers of agave in the world. The Tequila is crafted at La Tequileña distillery in the heart of the town of Tequila.
Best Añejo and Extra Añejo [top image]:
El Tesoro, a Tequila produced at the La Alteña distillery in the Jalisco Highlands, won the Best in category awards for both its Añejo and Extra Añejo Tequila.
It is one of the few brands that uses exclusively tahona crushed agaves in its production. The distillery, founded in 1937 by Don Felipe Camarena, is still run by his grandson, Master Distiller Carlos Camarena and his family. The El Tesoro brand is marketed and distributed in the US by Bean Suntory.
Their aging:
The El Tesoro Añejo is matured for two to three years in ex-bourbon barrels of America oak. The official SFWSC tasting notes described it as having:
The El Tesoro Extra Añejo is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for four to five years. According to Carlos Camarena, the brand honors his father Felipe J Camarena with whom he shares a passion for extra aged Tequilas. According to Camarena, the extra aging adds flavors of chocolate and coffee to the Tequila.
And finally, Best Other Agave Spirit [here’s something totally different]:
Perra Suerte, Raicilla. is produced in Jalisco from 100% Agave maximiliana.
Raicilla undergoes a much longer fermentation than Tequila. It can last as much as 30 days. In general, it is more fragrant than Tequila, and typically lacks the overt smokiness of mezcal.
