10 Bottom-Shelf Tequilas That Are Worth The Buy, According To The Pros

When it comes to tequila, certain "musts" apply. Tequila must be made from the blue agave plant. And it must be produced in certain areas of only five authorized states in Mexico to even be called "tequila." However, aside from those rules, how tequila is made is up to the brand producing it. For example, it can contain additives, such as sweeteners, which don't have to be disclosed if they make up less than 1% of the weight in a bottle. And while not all tequilas with additives are necessarily bad, they can have a huge impact on the liquor's flavor profile. 

Today, there's a renewed focus on additive-free tequilas because more consumers are demanding transparency about what they are drinking. Additionally, because many cheap tequilas are produced using additives, additive-free options tend to be more expensive. In fact, there is a slew of premium tequilas on the market with some of the most expensive tequilas in the world costing hundreds of dollars, if not thousands. 

Thankfully, there are still some affordable tequilas out there that are worth the buy, especially if you intend on using them in cocktails. After all, even Ina Garten prefers to use cheap tequila in her margaritas. We spoke to bartenders and agave spirit experts for their recommended tequilas under $30, including some that are additive-free. 

Rob McShea, beverage director of The Brick Hotel's Cococabana Rooftop Bar in Oceanside, CA, recommends Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, which he says is "perfect for mixing in cocktails and smooth enough to enjoy on its own." 

The tequila brand started as a partnership between a master distiller and two bartenders who wanted a high-quality yet accessible tequila to be used in cocktails. Retailing for between $26-30, Olmeca Altos Plata tequila is produced in the part of Jalisco called Los Altos, which is in the highlands of Mexico. Tequilas produced in the highlands tend to be sweeter than lowland tequilas and according to McShea, Olmeca Altos Plata has a sweet citrusy finish. 

The agave that goes into Olmeca Altos Plata tequilas is cooked in brick ovens, a process that takes three days but produces more complex flavors than the faster, more modern autoclave method. McShea isn't the only one who likes Olmeca Altos Plata. This tequila has won multiple gold medals from various spirits competitions, including the International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2022. 

Cimarrón tequila comes from the highlands of Jalisco, having been distilled from agave grown at an elevation of more than 4,600 feet. Verified to be additive-free, Cimarrón Blanco runs about $27 in retail stores and is one of the few affordable additive-free tequilas that you can find on the market. Jesus Muñoz of Good Lion Hospitality, who will be heading the bar program at the soon-to-open Jaguar Moon in Ventura, CA, says that Cimarrón Blanco is his favorite tequila for under $30. "The strong cooked agave notes with hints of citrus and pepper give a solid backbone to any agave cocktail," he said.

Cimarrón tequila is made by Enrique Fonseca, a legend within the tequila industry because of his innovative approach to making the liquor using alembic and copper stills. He was also one of the first to age tequilas for longer than the one to three years required to be considered an añejo, or extra aged, tequila. 

Retailing for around $25, El Tequileño Blanco tequila is produced in Jalisco using agave grown in the highlands. The company was founded in 1959 and a third-generation master distiller currently oversees its production. 

Lucas Assis, a former bartender and social media influencer whose content focuses on tequila, mezcal, craft spirits, and cocktails, recommends El Tequileño Blanco as "a great budget option for making cocktails when hosting at home."

El Tequileño Blanco is considered a "mixto" tequila, which means it contains other forms of sugars. In this case, some piloncillo (raw cane sugar) is added for fermentation. Even though there's now a big push for 100% agave tequilas, mixto tequilas aren't necessarily inferior as the end product all depends on the growing and distillation process as a whole. Mixtos were extremely common before the 1980s until there was a sugar shortage. In fact, there are some nice mixtos out there and El Tequileño Blanco is one of them, featuring a rich aroma of cooked agave and a light peppery finish. It's great in cocktails but also good enough to sip on its own. And as Assis notes, "El Tequileño Blanco is one of the few additive-free mixtos on the market."

Arette Tequila makes additive-free tequila and at a retail price of around $25, it is a great value. The tequila is made by fourth-generation producers from the Orendain family right in the heart of the town of Tequila in Jalisco. Even though the Arette brand was founded in 1986, the Orendain family has been in the tequila industry since the 1900s. 

Lucas Assis says that this tequila was his "well" tequila when he worked as a bartender. A "well" spirit refers to lower-cost spirits that bartenders keep stocked in the well of the bar and make most of their cocktails with. "I believe [it's] one of the best budget options," Assis said, further noting that it's "widely available and easy to find."

Arette uses both brick ovens and autoclaves to cook its agave (which is grown just outside of the town of Tequila), blending the two methods to produce its liqour. Arette tequila is a good example of lowlands tequila with classic herbal and peppery notes. 

A common misconception is that a blanco tequila is an unaged tequila, but the category actually allows it to be aged for up to 59 days. However, Tres Agaves is proud of the fact that it bottles its blanco tequila right after distillation so that the agave flavors are not muted by aging. This process seems to work well for the brand as its blanco tequila was once awarded the Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

The agave used in Tres Agaves tequila is grown in the Tequila Valley, making this a lowlands tequila. You can really smell the aroma of cooked agave while drinking it and the flavor profile is a nice balance between citrusy and peppery notes. With a retail price of $27, Lucas Assis says that the Tres Agaves blanco tequila is "probably the easiest-to-find bang for your buck." 

Gran Centenario is a tequila brand with a long history. It was founded in 1857 by Lazaro Gallardo, who is said to be the first Master Tequila Distiller in history. The Gran Centenario Plata is a blanco tequila that has been aged in American oak pipónes, which are large vats used to store and age tequila, for seven weeks. This tequila has citrus and herbal notes and the aging process helps give it a smoother flavor that's uncommon for a blanco tequila. 

Jared Meisler, a veteran Los Angeles bar proprietor who most recently opened The Moon Room bar, recommends Gran Centenario Plata, which retails for around $25 per bottle. Meisler said there is a current trend "to eliminate the flavor and make agave vodka." However, he noted that the Gran Centenario Plata "has a nice little bite" and actually tastes like tequila. 

Pueblo Viejo is a popular brand in Mexico but is not as well known in the United States. Although it was only introduced in America in 1989, the brand has been around since 1886. Its line of tequilas is affordable, making them a good bang for your buck, especially the aged tequilas, such as the reposado. 

The reposado tequila categorization means that the tequila has been aged between 60 days and one year. Since barrel-aging a spirit requires extra time to produce and results in some lost liquid due to evaporation (called "Angel's Share"), aged spirits like reposado tequila cost more than blanco tequila. 

Pueblo Viejo Reposado is a rare reposado to find at this price point, retailing at around $27 per bottle. Wine Enthusiast reviewer Kara Newman gave this tequila a score of 91. Jared Meisler is also a fan of the Pueblo Viejo Reposado, noting that the tequila is aged in French and American oak barrels which "gives it a really great flavor and finish."

Even though there's a lot of controversy around celebrity-owned tequila brands for tending to be overly expensive, Teremana Tequila, which is owned by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is actually a good budget option. Many celebrity-owned tequila brands are produced at distilleries that make tequilas for different brands. However, Teremana is made at its own distillery. 

Teremana retail prices start at around $21 for a 375 ml bottle. The tequila brand launched in 2020 and quickly grew in popularity. The blanco tequila even won the gold medal in the 2022 San Fransisco World Spirits Competition. Teremana tequila is made in the highlands of Jalisco, so the blanco tequila has citrus notes that work well in a margarita. 

Resa Mueller, bar manager at the cocktail bar R&D in Philadelphia, uses Teremana's blanco tequila in her cocktails. Mueller said that it is "crisp and citrusy with a hint of herbaceousness" which she attributes to the distillery's "small batch production methods that allow the character of the agave to really shine through."

Espolòn Tequila is distilled at Casa San Nicolas, a distillery built in Los Altos, Jalisco in 1996. Despite its shorter history compared to some of the other tequilas on this list, Espolon is one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the U.S. The brand and distillery were sold to Campari Group, a major beverage industry company, in 2008, but Espolòn Blanco Tequila is still a good value. The tequila retails for around $23 per bottle and has an 88 rating from Wine Enthusiast reviewer Kara Newman. This tequila has a balance of lightly sweet tropical notes and more vegetal, peppery notes. 

Katie Stryjewski, author of "Cocktails, Mocktails, and Garnishes from the Garden," says that Espolòn Blanco is her go-to tequila for making cocktails. "I have always found it to be an incredible quality for the price," Stryjewski said. "I've tried several more expensive brands and I've never found one I liked more than Espolòn."

Olivier Rassinoux, Vice President of Restaurant and Bar at Patina Restaurant Group, agrees, saying, "Espolòn is a lovely tequila, as it makes a wonderfully balanced cocktail, but at an accessible price point."

Many tequila distilleries in Mexico have been purchased by bigger brands, but Cazcabel Tequila is still family-owned. The distillery is located in Atotolnico El Alto and is owned by the Vazquez family, who also grow the agave themselves in the neighboring field. Erbin Garcia, director of operations at Las Perlas Mezcal Bar in West Hollywood, California, says that Cazcabel tequila is "a true gem." 

According to Garcia, Cazcabel is made using agave grown by Alfredo Vazquez, a fourth-generation agave grower who "handpicks only the finest single-estate agave from his family farm." The result, Garcia said, is "artisanal tequila that's pure, authentic, and made without any additives. Cheers to that!"

The brand's blanco tequila only costs approximately $27 at retail stores. Another unique thing about this tequila brand is that Cazcabel's current master distiller, Yadira Hernàndez Lozana, is one of the few female tequila master distillers in the industry.