2024 was an era of innovation for the tequila industry. No longer can you slap a celebrity name on a bog-standard blanco and call it a day; this year, brands were forced to think outside the box with all manner of cask finishes, high-proof touches and unusual production methods to stand out from the crowd.

We tried a whole lot of these experiments to varying results. Some soared for the sky with wonderfully rich flavors of roasted agave, fresh fruits and caramel. Others, not so much. Sorting the wheat from the chaff, we’ve put together a list of eight fantastic tequilas that piqued our interest in 2024.

Bottles are ranked by the house scores given by our spirits critics. Should a tie occur in house scores, it is broken by our Raided Score®, a number that is a calculated average of notable critic scores. If two spirits’ Raided Scores® are equal, the tequila with the highest number of aggregated reviews receives a higher ranking. When all of those factors are equal, alphabetization is used as a final tiebreaker. 

5. Alto Canto High Proof

If you’re launching a new tequila brand from scratch in 2024, you’ve got to do a lot to make it stand out from the crowd. The agave wizards over at Alto Canto, Spanish for “High Song,” took the challenge in stride.

The brand is the sole product of the recently constructed Tequila El Rocio distillery, which claims to distill its spirits at the highest altitude of any in Mexico (9,000 feet). There, agaves are roasted in traditional brick ovens, macerated with a volcanic stone tahona and malolactic fermented with endemic yeast for 80 hours. In the wrong hands, this grab bag of trendy production techniques might turn into a tequila that’s all bark and no bite.

But not Alto Canto. Bottled at a none-too-overwhelming 48% ABV, the brand’s High Proof Blanco flies out of the glass with a wonderful mix of sweet and savory flavor. Aromas of roasted agave, moss and lemon rind dominate the nose. The palate is a touch more vegetal, introducing hints of honeydew, bell peppers, mint and lactic funk usually reserved for a mezcal. The finish takes a turn for the spicy with notes of white pepper and cinnamon.

Alto Canto is slowly expanding its distribution across the U.S. In the meantime, you can find bottles of its High Proof Blanco online at $89.99.

Read more: https://thedailypour.com/agave/tequila/the-8-best-tequilas-we-tasted-in-2024-ranked/