8 Underrated Tequilas and Mezcals You’re Probably Sleeping on This Cinco de Mayo

(Photo: Perro Verde)

Cinco de Mayo has a drinking problem. Every year, the occasion gets hijacked by the same tired margarita mix and the same shelf-warmer bottles that exist purely to move units and induce hangovers. It’s as if your senior year of college was turned into an annual, sombrero-wearing holiday — and we don’t know about you, but that’s not our idea of a good time. At least, not when there are so many other fantastic options on the market.

We’ve rounded up eight bottles that put a fresh spin on the festivies. The following are ranked using The Daily Pour Critics’ Score, an aggregate of house ratings and scores from the most trusted critics across the internet. A few of them you’ve probably never heard of. A couple come from celebrities who actually did their homework. One is technically a sotol (close enough, and worth every bit of the detour). All of them deserve a spot at the table this May 5th.

8. Dos Hombres Tequila Blanco

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In April 2026, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul made the leap from mezcal to tequila with the debut of Dos Hombres Tequila Blanco, and the result is considerably better than the celebrity spirits category has any right to expect. Distilled at Tequilera TAP, the same facility behind Cazcanes and Matthew McConaughey’s Pantalones, this 40%-ABV blanco is built on a hybrid production process: autoclave and brick oven cooking, roller mill extraction, open-air wild yeast fermentation and a split distillation through copper and stainless steel stills. The nose is a bright, citrusy rush of orange peel, lemon and marigold, carrying forward onto a palate of fresh agave, dried pineapple and dewy grassiness. The finish veers herbal with spearmint and white pepper, plus a streak of limestone minerality that’s become something of a Tequilera TAP calling card. Sure, calling a celebrity-backed tequila “overlooked” might be a stretch of the imagination. But this one punches far above its weight class at $39.99 and — we’ll be honest — far exceeded our expectations.

7. Nosotros X Chespirito Tequila Joven

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A tribute to Mexican comedy legend Roberto Gómez Bolaños, best known as Chavo from “El Chavo del Ocho,” the Nosotros X Chespirito Tequila Joven is a limited-edition release that somehow remains widely available at its original $59.99 price point. The blend is 80% reposado aged up to 11 months and 20% blanco, distilled at Casa Maestri in Jalisco. On the nose, it’s easygoing and sweet, leading with guava, cantaloupe and orchard fruit before a whisper of caramel and dried coconut drifts in. The palate leans heavily on the blanco’s fruit-forward character, with pear, apple, banana and walnut playing off a clean, recognizable agave backbone. The finish dries out nicely, trading fruit sweetness for agave nectar, wildflowers and a mineral snap. If a beachside sipper is what Cinco de Mayo calls for, this is the bottle to reach for.

6. Convite Mezcal Pechuga

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Mezcal de pechuga is one of the more theatrical production methods in the agave world: A spirit redistilled with local fruit, spices and, in this case, creole turkey breast suspended above the still. Convite Mezcal Pechuga from Oaxaca takes that already unusual process and cranks the botanical influences to a frequency we never expected. The nose presents a bouquet of anise, baked apples, cardamom, coriander and fresh mint, as if a herbalist had just finished arranging their ingredients on a counter. On the palate, cardamom takes over alongside cooling eucalyptus and a pine needle bite, weaving around lemon zest, quince, pineapple and white pepper. Smoke is minimal, agave is present but restrained, and mint is everywhere. It’s closer to a high-quality herbal digestif crossed with an Espadin than anything you’d typically associate with pechuga, and that’s exactly what makes it so interesting. Priced around $80, this one is tailor-made for gin drinkers who’ve been curious about mezcal but haven’t found the right entry point.

5. Cardenxe Sotol de Desierto

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Sotol is a Mexican agave-adjacent spirit with deep roots in Chihuahua, and if you’re building a Cinco de Mayo spread around underrated bottles, leaving it off would be a missed opportunity. Cardenxe Sotol de Desierto is produced in Aldama, Chihuahua by sotolero Gerardo Ruelas Hernandez using a blend of three desert spoon varietals: Berlandieri, Cedrosanum and Texanum. The plants spend 12 to 15 years in the ground before harvest, followed by cooking in rock-lined earth ovens, axe-crushing and double distillation in copper stills. Bottled at 45% ABV and priced at $59.99, it opens with a tangy, almost effervescent citrus character on the nose, all tangerine and citrus pith over hay and mowed grass. The palate kicks off with a thick coating of ashy barbecue smoke, then builds through roasted peach, cocoa nibs, burnt vegetables and limestone minerality. The finish swings back toward citrus sweetness, lime and grapefruit layered beneath dark chocolate and tilled earth. It’s far from a beginner-friendly sotol (that honor would go to Hacienda de Chihuahua) — but for those in the know, the novelty is unrivaled.

4. Cachasol Tequila Blanco Epic Strength

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The most left-field production decision on this list belongs to Cachasol Tequila Blanco Epic Strength, a 48%-ABV blanco from 5th-generation master distiller Jimmy Villalobos Sauza and industry veteran James Montero. The twist: This is an additive-free tequila fermented with India Pale Ale yeast. What that produces is something that reads like a crunchy summer salad in a glass. Mint, basil, raw agave and dilly beans on the nose, with a white vinegar funk that, on a second sniff, lands squarely in pickle territory. The palate follows suit with roasted agave, white pepper, tarragon, okra, artichoke and a streak of black licorice sweetness, all wrapped in a creamy mouthfeel that keeps the vegetal intensity from going off the rails. The finish is long, peppered with licorice, wet grass, dark chocolate shavings and a butterscotch note that slowly emerges from the back. Priced at around $70, this is a must-buy for high-proof blanco enthusiasts or anyone who enjoys a dirty martini sans vermouth and olive garnish.

3. Desolas Mezcal Reposado

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Desolas Mezcal Reposado is, according to the brand, the first barrel-aged Salmiana mezcal on the market. Salmiana agaves are native to San Luis Potosí, and are renowned within the mezcal community for their dry, arid and herbaceous flavor profile. Aging them six months in ex-bourbon casks and having it actually work is something close to a minor miracle. The nose is a whirlwind of lemon juice, clementine, balsamic vinegar and guanabana, with a sugary cream soda undercurrent that has no business appearing in the same glass as dry grass and wild herbs. The palate delivers salted caramel, honey candies and vanilla with a silky mouthfeel, then pivots to tangerine, flower petals and slate minerality. A whisper of smoke picks up on the backend, landing alongside green apple, lavender, chamomile and plenty more honey candy. Though this one skews a bit expensive at $110, it’s one-of-a-kind evidence that aged mezcal isn’t always a dud on arrival.

2. Perro Verde Mezcal Espadin

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Husband-and-wife team Juan Santiago Rodriguez and Mariana Carvajal launched Perro Verde Mezcal Espadin in collaboration with mezcalero Porfirio Chagoya and actor Benicio del Toro, and unlike most celebrity-adjacent spirits, the bottle earns its shelf space on flavor alone. Produced in Oaxaca using a horse-powered mill, Huizache wood pit roasting and wooden vat fermentation, this 40%-ABV Espadin is one of the most botanically vivid mezcals in its price range. The nose is crisp and green, landing somewhere between raw agave and fresh cactus, with a sweet smoke undercurrent that reads like barbecued fruit. On the palate, caraway seeds, coriander, cilantro and pear give way to lingering honeydew melon, pine resin and smoked wood. It has a bright, in-your-face grassiness that calls to mind sotol, balanced out by bitter and fruity papaya, tarragon and sea salt on the finish. Well worth its $75 price of entry.

1. Lágrimas del Valle Plata – 2024 La Sabina

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Lágrimas del Valle has been quietly building one of the most compelling single-field tequila catalogs around, and the Lágrimas del Valle Plata 2024 La Sabina is the strongest argument yet that the brand deserves far more attention than it gets. Distilled at Tequila Cascahuin in Jalisco, this release sources its agaves from Guanajuato, an underrated growing state that brings a distinct flavor to the glass. The production splits into two parallel batches: 70% roller mill and stainless steel fermentation, 30% tahona-crushed and open-air wood fermented. The result is a 46%-ABV blanco that opens with one of the most disarming noses in recent memory, all lemon curd, confectioner’s sugar and pie crust. Oddly nostalgic and totally unexpected. The palate shifts into lime, guava, nectarine and honey with a lactic funk from those wooden vats, balanced by eucalyptus, fresh pepper and a dense, buttercream mouthfeel. The finish is clean and minerally, with limestone, springtime grass and a last whisper of agave syrup. It doesn’t get much better than this at $60 per bottle.