The 6 Best Tequilas and Mezcals in the World, According to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Earlier this month, The Tasting Alliance toasted its Top Shelf 2025 Awards Gala, at which the best of the best from this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition vied for the top recognition in their respective categories. Thousands of brands were submitted for consideration, spanning established favorites like single malt scotch to once-niche darlings like Peruvian pisco and Japanese shochu.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the Best in Class winners for the tequila and mezcal categories. Judges separated the awards according to age statement (blanco, respoado, añejo and beyond) before crowning a single Best Overall. The awards show also created a separate recognition for “Other Agave Spirit,” typically used to denote uncertified mezcals produced within Mexico.

Best Blanco, Joven Tequila and Overall Tequila: Tequila Volcan de mi Tierra Blanco

(Photo: Volcan de mi Tierra)

Best Blanco, Joven and Overall Tequila went to Volcan de Mi Tierra. Clocking it at a modest suggested retail price of $50, Volcan’s flagship Blanco is an unusually complex blend of three batches, spanning highland and lowland agaves, different extraction types and various cooking methods. Critics are fond of its sweet, tropical aroma and spiced flavors of black pepper, orange zest and tilled earth. We recently had the opportunity to visit the Volcan distillery and were blown away by the time and effort that goes into this remarkably budget-friendly bottling — an easy recommendation for any level of tequila fan.

Check Out Our Behind-The-Scenes Tour of the Volcan de Mi Tierra Distillery

Best Reposado Tequila: Aguasol Tequila Reposado

(Photo: Aguasol)

Hailing from the critically acclaimed Cascahuin distillery, Aguasol Reposado is a lowland tequila aged for three months in ex-bourbon American oak. The brand was launched by a duo of Austin natives in 2023 and has already picked up its fair share of acclaim. Expect sweet and floral aromas of butterscotch, vanilla and gentle melon, followed by a characteristically reposado flavor profile (oak, cinnamon and honey) that leaves more than enough room for vegetal hints of agave and herbs to breathe. If you’re hoping to taste the Cascahuin hype for yourself, Aguasol Repo is a fantastic entry point, costing a mere $55.

Best Anejo Tequila: Cierto Tequila Private Collection Anejo

(Photo: Cierto)

Cierto Private Collection Añejo is one of two 2025 Best in Class award winners from NOM 1146, perhaps the finest distillery currently working with aged agave spirits. Matured for 18 months in French Limousin oak casks, Cierto Añejo is a true splurge of a tequila — and we’re not just talking about its nearly foot-and-a-half-tall bottle. We had a chance to review this one when it launched a few years back, and were impressed by its seasonal flavors of honey, apples, pears, clove and toffee. It tastes like Christmas luxury, and at a suggested cost of $175, it’s sure priced like one too.

Read Our Full Review of Cierto Private Collection Añejo

Best Extra Añejo Tequila: Don Fulano Tequila Imperial

Another showstopper of a bottling from NOM 1146, Don Fulano Imperial is aged for a minimum of five years in new French oak barrels before finishing in oloroso sherry casks. This is a personal favorite, and easily in our top three extra añejos of all time. Zesty aromas of caramel, pepper, soil and roasted sugar segue into a surprisingly bready palate loaded to the brim with brown sugar, brown butter and cocoa nibs. A fantastic ultra-aged that balances oak and agave, and well worth its $200 price of entry.

Read Our Full Review of Don Fulano Imperial

Best Mezcal: Maria Bonita Ensamble Mezcal

(Photo: Maria Bonita)

Judges at this year’s Top Shelf Gala found a lot to like in Maria Bonita Ensamble, a Guanajuato-produced mezcal that boasts some fascinating tricks under the hood. The liquid comprises a blend of agave Cupreata, known for its rich, earthy flavor, and agave Salmiana, a varietal otherwise known as the “Green Giant” due to its 25-year maturation period and towering 8-foot height. Master distiller Pedro Valdes kickstarts the fermentation process with a splash of pulque, a frothy, pre-Hispanic drink that predates agave spirits by centuries. Fans have heaped praise on this $50 bottling’s unique palate of papaya, pineapple, cedar wood and lingering smoke.

Best Other Agave Spirit; Best in Show Aged White Spirit: Los Perdidos Tepeztate Reposado Agave Spirit

International spirits competitions are at their best when they spotlight obscure, otherwise unreviewed spirits — an apt description for Los Perdidos Reposado, for which surprisingly little information can be found online. According to retailers, this is a 109.2-proof agave spirit matured for four months in ex-cognac casks, produced in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca, and available online in the range of $200 to $300. Rarely, if ever, are agave spirits matured in cognac, and we can only begin to imagine what flavors are at play here. This is a bottle we’ll be keeping a very close eye out for in months to come.