Tequila has a legal definition that is stricter than most spirits: it must be distilled from blue Weber agave grown in Jalisco and four neighbouring Mexican states, and it must be bottled at a minimum of 35% ABV — 37.5% for the UK market. Within that, producers have enormous latitude, and the gap between a £24 supermarket bottle and a £45 additive-free reposado is far wider than the price suggests.
The single most useful thing on any tequila label is the phrase 100% de agave. Everything else — the crest, the barrel story, the hand-blown glass — is secondary. If you want the same buying logic applied to aged spirits, our bourbon guide covers cask influence in more depth.
Agave Content: The Only Non-Negotiable
A mixto tequila only needs 51% agave sugar. The remaining 49% is typically cane or corn syrup, fermented alongside the agave. It is cheaper, faster and consistently harsher, and it is the reason a generation of British drinkers associates tequila with regret rather than with a well-made spirit.
100% agave tequila is fermented from nothing but cooked agave. The plant takes six to eight years to mature, which is why the floor price is higher and why deep discounting in the category should make you suspicious rather than pleased.
A secondary marker worth knowing: agave hearts cooked slowly in brick ovens produce a rounder, more caramelised spirit than those processed in industrial autoclaves or diffusers. Producers who use ovens usually say so on the back label; those who use diffusers never do.
The Four Styles, and Who Each One Is For
The workhorse. Cracked black pepper, grapefruit pith and raw agave. Use it for Margaritas and Palomas — the citrus in the drink needs a spirit with a sharp edge to push back.
Six to nine months in oak rounds the pepper into vanilla and baked agave. The best all-round bottle if you want one tequila that sips neat and still holds up in an Old Fashioned.
Darker, sweeter, with toffee and dried fruit. The gifting bottle, and the one most likely to convert a whisky drinker. Serve neat, never chilled.
Aged then carbon-filtered clear. Divisive: you keep the sweetness and lose some of the oak grip. Good in long drinks, questionable value for sipping.
What Your Money Buys
| Price band | What you get | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| Under £28 | Usually mixto, often sweetened, noticeable burn | Avoid, or long mixed drinks only |
| £32–£40 | Honest 100% agave blanco, peppery and clean | Margarita, Paloma, Tommy's |
| £42–£55 | Reposado with real cask influence, additive-free | Sipping neat, tequila Old Fashioned |
| £60+ | Anejo, extra anejo, single-estate provenance | Gifting and collecting |
Browse the range in the shop or read about producers in our distilleries directory.
How to Serve Tequila
Neat: room temperature, copita or small tulip glass, no salt and no lime. Give a good reposado five minutes in the glass before the first sip.
Margarita: 50ml blanco, 25ml fresh lime, 20ml triple sec, shaken hard over ice. Bottled sour mix is the single biggest reason home Margaritas disappoint.
Paloma: 50ml blanco, pinch of salt, fresh pink grapefruit soda, tall glass over cubed ice. The most drinkable long tequila serve and the one to make for people who think they dislike the spirit.
Tequila Old Fashioned: 50ml reposado or anejo, 5ml agave syrup, two dashes of orange bitters, stirred, orange twist.
Shop Tequila
100% agave blanco, reposado and anejo with free UK delivery over £70
Browse the Tequila RangeFrequently Asked Questions About Tequila
What is the best tequila to buy in the UK in 2026?
For mixing into a Paloma or a Margarita, a 100% agave blanco is the sensible buy — clean, peppery and around £35. For sipping, a reposado rested six to nine months in ex-bourbon casks gives you vanilla and cooked agave without losing the plant character. Anejo is the gifting choice, but it starts to drink more like a light whisky than a tequila.
What does '100% agave' actually mean on a tequila label?
It means the spirit was fermented and distilled entirely from blue Weber agave sugars. Anything that does not say it is a 'mixto' — legally allowed up to 49% other sugars, usually cane. Mixto is the main reason tequila has a hangover reputation in Britain. If the front label does not say 100% de agave, put it back.
What is the difference between blanco, reposado and anejo?
Blanco is unaged or rested under two months: bright, peppery, citrus-driven. Reposado is aged two to twelve months in oak: softer, with vanilla and cooked agave. Anejo is aged one to three years: darker, sweeter and closer to a young whisky. Extra anejo is over three years and is priced as a collector's bottle.
Should tequila be drunk as a shot?
Not if you have paid for 100% agave. Salt and lime exist to cover the harshness of mixto. Good tequila is served neat at room temperature in a copita or a small tulip glass, sipped the way you would a rested rum.
Is tequila the same as mezcal?
No. All tequila is a mezcal by the broad definition, but tequila must be made from blue Weber agave in designated Mexican regions, mostly Jalisco. Mezcal can use many agave varieties and usually roasts the hearts in earth pits, which is where the smoke comes from. Tequila is cleaner and more citric; mezcal is smokier and more savoury.
How much should I spend on tequila in the UK?
Below £28 you are almost always buying mixto or a very young 100% agave with added sweetener. Between £32 and £45 you get honest blanco and reposado worth mixing and sipping. Above £55 you are paying for extended ageing, additive-free production or the bottle itself.
Continue Reading
Written & reviewed by Onur Mert
Founder & Spirits Buyer, The Royal Barrel
WSET-trained spirits buyer with over a decade sourcing whisky, gin and rum for UK drinkers. Every bottle featured here is tasted or bought by our own team before it is recommended.
Published by ONURMERT Limited (Company No. 08084870), Dorchester, Dorset
Last updated