A solid, well-structured tequila with a little barrel aging on it, Herradura Silver is a good choice for full-flavored sipping or high-end cocktails.

Way back in 1870, Casa Herradura was registered as a tequila producing hacienda. Over the past few decades the company has grown its stable of brands, producing one “mixto” name you should avoid (Pepe Lopez), Mexico’s best-selling tequila el Jimador (a 100% agave bargain), and the premium Don Eduardo. They’ve been an innovator and award winner consistently and are the third-largest tequila distillery.

Not a household name in the U.S. but the star of the Tequila Express train is Herradura, a fine tequila that is good enough to sip and is made better than it has to be. As in the reposado version is aged 11 months instead of the minimum two and the anejo is aged two years instead of the mandated one. Even the silver blanco version gets a little oak action though, spending 45 days in barrels to take some of the edge off.

I can’t say I’ve seen this elsewhere and I kind of wonder how it stays so clear if it’s been in “toasted oak barrels” for 45 days, but it’s the taste that matters and Herradura Silver scores highly on that count. In general, the lowland Jalisco tequilas are less fruity and flowery than the highland ones, so there’s often not as much complexity in the blanco versions.

This is a subtle difference that matters little in a cocktail with lots of citrus, but if you’re sipping it’s noticeable. Whether countering this was the intention or not, Herradura’s silver has a good bit more going on—presented with less bite—than many competitors. I’m partial to something with more age on it to drink neat, but this is one I’ll take a refill on. The classic toasted agave flavors shine through, but it’s a smooth experience.

Since 2007, Casa Herradura has been part of the Brown-Forman spirits company in Kentucky, which has allowed it to expand its distribution and invest in both the local community and more sustainable manufacturing processes. If you want to see their distillery in action, the most fun way is to board the Tequila Express in Guadalajara and get the full-blown mariachi experience as well.

Herradura Silver is widely available in good liquor stores, generally priced between $30 and $40 for a 750 ml bottle.

Many years ago I sampled all three versions of Don Eduardo Tequila while on a whirlwind tour of the land of agave and distilleries that are within striking distance of Guadalajara. You can see that feature story in our archives here: Tequila Gets Ready for its Close-up in Jalisco.

There really is a town called Tequila and it’s the epicenter of the most storied distilleries. The parent company that makes Don Eduardo has been there since 1926 and they use blue agave plants grown right outside of town. As part of the Brown-Forman spirits group, they also have access to a reliable stream of used bourbon barrels, all of them having a similar taste profile. So when the añejo tequila is aged in bourbon barrels for two years, it’s a consistent aging.

There’s a difference between tequila made near Tequila and what’s made in the highlands. This one is a good example of a “classic” tequila profile, more austere and, some would say, serious than the more flowery, sweeter versions from Los Altos. Don Eduardo has won a slew of tasting awards over the years and this one stands out for its well-structured, balanced profile that has a good mix of agave fruit flavors and spice with the overtones of leather and sandalwood resulting from the longer-than-average aging time in oak.

It’s more pale than many aged this long and in most respects it’s rather subdued overall. For those who have found some añejo tequilas to be too much of a good thing, this one’s closer to a reposado, despite the long aging. “Smooth” is the best description, with a nice nose up front signaling the coming spice and pepper.

Like most añejo tequilas, this is meant to be sipped neat, not mixed into a cocktail. It’s smooth enough to sip like a fine Scotch or bourbon, over hours of conversation and maybe a cigar. It’s soft on the palate and the short finish is a far cry from the harsh burn you can get from lesser tequilas.

This is priced firmly in the premium range: you’ll typically pay $40-$50 a bottle for Don Eduardo Añejo in stores if it’s not on sale. If you do see it lower than that, like at Duty Free, then snag it knowing you got a premium tequila for a good price. Since this is a sipping tequila, it will last you a long time.

Plus it’s well-known among tequila enthusiasts that the bottle the brand comes in has as much impact on the price as what’s inside. This one comes in a heavy, beautiful bottle that looks impressive sitting on your home bar. Take it down and impress your friends with a tequila that might change their attitude about the spirit.

See more at the Don Eduardo website.

I’ve got to admit I don’t get too jazzed up about $200 bottles of tequila. In most cases, you’re spending that money on the fancy packaging and the marketing hype, not so much on what’s inside. What really gets me excited is when I find something in the stores for $20 or $30 that rightfully could pass for something selling for many times that number in a blind taste test.

My latest find on that note is Camarena Tequila, from Los Altos (the highlands) of Jalisco state. This is where much of the best tequila comes from for those who like to have a lot going on in the nose and palate. Tequila from this region is generally more floral, more aromatic, and filled with a bouquet of spice notes. It’s not something you down with a grimace: you savor it on your tongue and then ask for another pour. They attribute it to lower rainfall and an altitude of 8,000 feet for the agave plants, but for whatever reason this region tends to produce the best sipping tequila.

The Camarena family may not be a household name in the U.S., but their lineage founded the town of Arandas in Jalisco state in 1761. A century later they started growing agave plants. In the 1930s they founded their own tequila distillery. For much of its history this brand was known as Casco Viejo and at one point was the #3 brand in the country. After a purchase from the Gallo company—yes, the jug wine people—it relaunched in 2010 with this new brand name, Camarena.

So you can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of it before, but often that’s a good thing. While your friends succumb to the big marketing splash or the celebrity TV endorsements of the priciest brands, you can go for the less hyped ones that deliver more for the money. Honestly, if you lined this Camarena reposado up next to the $100 to $200 brands in a blind test, even those with some of the most developed palates would fail miserably.

I’ve only tried the reposado, but it was one of the best I’ve ever had. (And yes, since I lived in Mexico for a year I’ve had a lot.) As smooth as well-known Centenario but with all the floral notes and spiciness of a good highlands tequila like nearby neighbor Corzo, this is hands-down the best bargain I’ve encountered in a regular U.S. retail store. The words that sprung to mind when trying this were unorthodox ones like “juicy,” “fruity,” and “taste explosion.” Yet it still felt very balanced and refined.

I’m stocking up with a few extra bottles because I don’t think this price—I bought it for $20— is going to last for a premium 100% agave tequila. If you see it, grab it.

See our tequila tour story for more on the distilleries outside Guadalajara.

The first time Blue Head Tequila passed my lips was recently when I attended the Clearwater Uncorked festival on the beach in Florida. Separate from the sea of wine pourings, inside the Hyatt Clearwater, was a room with just a few select brands of spirits, this being one of them. Apparently the distributor for this brand is based in Tampa, though of course the tequila itself is from the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

I’ve been missing out, however, since this brand has been knocking back awards since 2008, every year scoring a gold, double gold, or “best in show” at tasting competitions.

I tasted all three types, all 100% blue agave, and found the blanco to be exceptional. It has plenty of real agave flavor, but without a lot of bite. The reposado is also excellent, with plenty of caramel and spiciness, resulting in a pleasant, long-lasting finish. It’s good enough to sip neat over a long period.

I wasn’t as thrilled with the añejo version. To me it felt a bit unbalanced and kind of harsh on the finish. Ten months in oak is often about the limit for tequila and even in that bit of time the makeup of the oak barrels themselves can have as much impact on the final outcome as the liquor that went into them. If I’ve learned anything from doing tasting tours though, taste is often a matter of taste. One man’s least favorite is another man’s favorite, so don’t let me sway you from testing it out if you see it on a bar shelf. (I love Don Julio añejo for instance, which some others find “too wimpy.”)

I’m not sure how widespread Blue Head Tequila is at retail, but this new bottle should help. The old one was hand-blown and pretty, but had a big Native American head painted with war face paint on it. It didn’t exactly look elegant. This design is more fitting for a tequila that lists for $45+ a bottle.

Sometimes on this luxury blog I’ll review high-end liquor that’s worth the premium. Let’s face it though: even the wealthiest travelers don’t stick to top-shelf spirits all the time, especially when ordering a cocktail or three. Plus half the fun of traveling somewhere foreign is trying out the local food and drinks.

Here are two items I’ve come across in my travels that are outright steals. Sure, you can spend four times as much as these cost if you’d like, but what you get probably won’t be four times better, especially for mixing.

First up is the rum I would dare say is the best deal in the Americas: Ron Abuelo from Panama. I loved this stuff the first time I was in Panama and this time I tried it again to make sure that wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t. I had it at a few bars, neat and mixed, then bought a liter of the 7-year version for $12 at the airport duty free shop before I boarded my flight on Copa. After seven years of aging in oak barrels, twelve bucks!

On the smoothness scale, this rates in the middle between silky Ron Centenario (Costa Rica) and those with a sharp bite like Appleton Estates (Jamaica) and Flor de Cana (Nicaragua). It goes down easily, but has plenty going on to keep your taste buds happy in the finish. It has a full, rounded flavor that can cut through pineapple juice, but is smooth enough to sip for a while neat or on the rocks. If you see it in a duty free shop in Central America, reach for Ron Abuelo instead of a brand that’s more about marketing than what’s in the bottle—yes I’m talking to you Bacardi.

Next up is what has alternated with Jimador for my house tequila while living in Mexico: El Amo. I’ve never seen this Mexican-owned brand in the U.S. and it’s not in many bars in Mexico even, but the big supermarket chains usually carry it. It retails for about $10, even though it’s 100% blue agave and is really well-balanced tequila. It’s more flavorful and complex than Jimador, with a more pronounced agave taste, but there’s a natural evolution on your taste buds from start to finish. No one flavor component overpowers the others. Also, I don’t claim to have the advance palate of a true spirits judge, but I would swear this is aged in better barrels than the bigger mass-market brands. See more about it at the parent company site Hacienda de la Capilla.

Pick this up next time you’re in Mexico and try a taste test between this and something that costs three times as much. I’ve done it before and El Amo has come out on tops, by me and by the person drinking with me. That’s the funny thing about tequila: for the most part it’s all at least decent if it’s 100% blue agave and so the grades of difference are not always easy to determine from the price. Apart from the wooden top this bottle is nothing special, but what’s inside is a different story.