Looking for a great bottle of tequila that won’t break the bank? Here are 16 options.
Tequila — unless you had a bad experience in college, you’re almost guaranteed to love this sweet and spicy agave spirit. It’s the national spirit of Mexico, a hugely popular mixer in classic cocktails like the Margarita, and a darned fine drink to sip on over ice or neat.
To help you along your agave-drinking journey, we put together a list of the 16 best tequilas under 50 bucks — mostly blancos, but with a few reposado and añejo tequilas thrown in there for variety as well. Drink up!
Table of Contents
Best Tequilas Under 50 Dollars
Here are the best tequilas under 50 dollars in no particular order.
Espolòn Blanco
Oh, Espolòn: You were my first tequila love, and I still keep coming back to you. Why? Because in addition to being incredibly affordable, this tequila really can do it all.
It’s great for sipping neat, taking shots, and mixing in cocktails. It’s perfectly balanced and still shows plenty of the spicy and grassy flavor that agave spirits are known for.
Volcán de mi Tierra Tequila Blanco
There are two main growing regions for the agave plants that make tequila: The highlands and the lowlands.
Each has its own distinct flavor profile, with lowland tequila being earthier and highland tequila being spicier and greener.
Volcán de mi Tierra Tequila Blanco deftly blends agaves from both growing regions, creating a unique and superb sipping tequila.
Gran Centenario Plata
With agaves cooked in clay ovens and their fermented juices distilled in copper pots, Gran Centenario Plata does things the old-school way.
That lends it a rustic, traditional flair that’s hard to find in other tequilas at this price point — one of my favorite tequilas for making Margaritas, by far.
Corralejo Silver
Legally, distillers of tequila are allowed to rest their blanco tequilas for a short time before bottling and shipping them. This gives the spirit time to mellow.
Corralejo takes their distillate straight from the tap and bottles it immediately, giving a punchy and vigorous agave flavor to their silver tequila.
Tres Agaves Blanco
Coming in at around $30, Tres Agaves Blanco is one of the most highly-decorated value-priced tequilas; it consistently takes home medals at national spirits awards competitions.
This one’s particularly good for mixing, as it has a subtle floral quality that really comes out with the addition of lime and a little bit of sweetener.
Cazadores Blanco
Cazadores Blanco was one of my go-to bottles when I was managing cocktail bars, as its combination of punchy agave flavor and affordable price point are hard to beat.
This one’s great for taking shots and excellent for mixing, but maybe a little bit rough around the edges for sipping neat.
Maestro Dobel Silver
Near the upper end of the $50 price range, you’ll find stunners like Maestro Dobel Silver.
This is a tequila that you’ll really want to take your time with, sipping it neat or with a big ice cube.
It has surprising nutty and vanilla notes that aren’t typical for a blanco tequila, making it all the more interesting to sip contemplatively.
Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver
Don’t get me wrong — I know Jose Cuervo has a reputation for being pretty rough tequila. But that’s only because most people drink their low-grade mixto tequila, which is nothing at all like their Tradicional Silver.
It’s herbaceous, spicy, sweet, and works well as a mixer or sipper.
Olmeca Altos Plata
Olmeca Altos is a tequila brand started by two former NYC cocktail bartenders — so you know it’s perfectly balanced for mixing.
As one of the most citrus-forward tequilas on this list, it’s also very approachable for newcomers to the agave spirit world.
1800 Blanco
Want a tequila with a sweeter touch than others? Go for 1800. Their Blanco is my favorite expression, balancing a creamy sweetness with touches of grass, black pepper, and citrus.
Astral Blanco Tequila
Most tequilas we get in the United States have foregone the ancient brewing and distilling methods and opted for modernized ovens and crushing methods.
Tequila Astral Blanco is a different beast entirely, still made by crushing the oven-roasted agaves with a stone tahona. This gives it an old-school flavor and feel that’s not to be missed.
Milagro Silver
Traveling through Mexico, I’d often hear the phrase “Que un milagro!” — “What a miracle!”
And while it was usually said in jest, I still think fondly of that phrase when I think of Milagro tequila because it must take a miracle to produce tequila this good at this price. It’s one of my favorite sipping blancos.
El Jimador Silver
The jimador is the man (or woman, nowadays!) who goes into the fields to harvest the giant agave hearts, bringing them back to be roasted, fermented, and distilled into tequila.
El Jimador honors this essential job and does so at a great price for an earthy and spicy lowland tequila.
Espolòn Reposado
I’ve already told you how much I enjoy Espolòn Blanco. But their Reposado? Just as good, but in a different way.
A little bit of time aging in a barrel gives it a rounded character full of tropical fruits and vanilla. Absolutely delicious to drink over a big ice cube.
Teremana Añejo Tequila
Can you smell what The Rock is… distilling? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson owns Teremana tequila, and it’s better than you might imagine.
Open tank fermentation gives every batch a distinct characteristic that changes with the seasons, and the oak aging on this añejo brings out a lot of unique flavors wrapped up in vanilla and char.
Gran Centenario Añejo
Gran Centenario is the most affordable añejo you’ll want to drink neat.
I consistently recommend this to whiskey lovers who want to get into agave spirits, as it is lush and full-bodied without losing the inimitable flavor that agave gives.
Conclusion: What’s Next?
Love any of these tequilas? Then you may even want to try the other Mexican spirit: Mezcal.
It’s a smokier expression of agave distillation, and some call it “the whiskey of tequilas.” If you’re in for an adventure, give it a shot!
Questions? Comments? Leave them below!
