When it comes to the middle-of-the-road, flavorful tequila, it’s difficult to beat a well-made reposado. Reposado tequila is defined as a tequila that has been aged for at least two months (any less and it’s a blanco), but no more than twelve months (longer aging leads to an añejo or extra añejo).
This short aging time is enough to impart some of the charred oak flavors like vanilla, caramel, dried fruits, and spices while still holding onto the vegetal sweetness of the cooked agave. It’s a great choice for sipping neat, on the rocks, or as a base for your favorite cocktail.
The best part? Since it’s a fairly young tequila, there are countless expressions available for less than (and in some cases far less than) $100.
Cimarron Reposado Tequila
Made from 100 percent Blue Weber agave, this tequila comes from master distiller Enrique Fonseca at Tequileña Distillery in the heart of the town of Tequila. It’s a blend made up of 20 percent pot still and 80 percent double column-still distilled tequila. It gets its cinnamon and lightly spiced flavors from aging between three and six months in American oak barrels.
G4 Tequila Reposado
G4 is the kind of tequila brand that makes nothing but outstanding expressions. This is thanks to one of the best master distillers in the business: Felipe Camarena, who is the fourth generation of his family to distill tequila. This expression was matured for six months in barrels that formerly held bourbon. The result is nuanced tequila that features flavors like vanilla and caramel without hiding the initial agave sweetness.
123 Organic Reposado Tequila
Not only does this tequila appeal to fans of organic spirits, but it’s also very highly rated. Matured for a full six months in American oak barrels, it’s known for its surprisingly complex flavor profile. The nose is heavy on cooked agave, dried fruits, and vanilla. The palate continues with vegetal agave sweetness, caramel, vanilla, and gentle spices. It’s surprisingly well-rounded and sippable.
Tapatio Tequila Reposado
This popular reposado tequila comes from La Altena Distillery located in Arandas, Jalisco. Matured between four and six months in American oak barrels, it has a balanced, easy-drinking flavor profile featuring toffee, coffee, vanilla, and sweet cooked agave. It’s a great choice for budget sipping and mixing into your favorite cocktail.
El Tesoro Reposado Tequila
This award-winning reposado tequila isn’t simply matured for a few months in American oak like some of its competitors. It ages on the longer side for the category, spending between between nine and eleven months in casks that previously held bourbon. This creates a sublimely rich, sweet, tequila with notes of dried fruits, vanilla, toffee, charred oak, and just a hint of smoke. It’s a perfect warm-weather sipper or a base for a margarita or your favorite tequila cocktail.
Don Julio Reposado Tequila
Don Julio is a big name in the tequila game. The brand makes a wide variety of expressions perfect for any budget. Its reposado tequila is one of its best, budget-friendly, yet still aged tequilas. Made from 100 percent blue Weber agave, this expression spends at least eight months aging in American oak barrels for a mellow tequila with nuanced flavors like orchard fruits, vanilla beans, chocolate, cinnamon, dried fruits, and oak.
Mijenta Reposado Tequila
To say this reposado tequila is unique is a massive understatement. Instead of simply aging in American oak barrels, this expression is a blend of tequilas that matured for at least six months in a combination of American oak, French oak, and French acacia barrels. The nose is fruity with a ton of vanilla, honey, and wildflowers. Drinking it reveals notes of agave, chocolate, honey, and vanilla.
Tequila Ocho Reposado Tequila
This lightly amber-hued tequila was matured for exactly eight weeks and eight days in oak barrels that previously held American whiskey. This creates a wildly complex tequila that starts with aromas of sticky toffee, vanilla, and cooked agave. One sip and you’ll be transported to a world of vegetal, sweet agave, vanilla beans, dried fruits, and cinnamon spice. It’s a great spicy, sweet tequila to sip on an unseasonably cool evening.
Cazul 100 Reposado Tequila
If you’ve never tried Cazul 100 Reposado, you’re missing out on something special. Don’t assume that because of its name that it’s 100 proof. The 100 is a reference to it being made from 100 percent blue Weber agave. It’s then matured for a full six months in American oak barrels. The result is a palate of cooked agave, toffee, charred oak, dried fruits, and a gentle, peppery, spicy finish that leaves you craving more.
Código 1530 Reposado Tequila
Código does things a little different with it’s reposado that makes it stand out from the pack: Maturing for six months in French oak wine barrels from Napa that previously held cabernet sauvignon. The barrels really propel this expression into a new stratosphere and creates a fruity, complex tequila with wine esters, cooked agave, chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla, and oaky wood. This is the reposado tequila for wine drinkers.
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