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Don Julio Charms
Tequila Tasters
The fruity, brandy-like qualities of Don Julio's subtle Anejo topped a list of 14 other contenders to win Cocktail.com's coveted award for the best sipping tequila this month.
But it was a close one. Nipping at the Don's heels was Cabo Wabo's robust Reposado and Chinaco's outstanding Anejo. Both these fine imports came so close to winning that some of our judges implored us to call it a draw.
We're thinking about it.
There were some very clear not runner-ups. OK, they were bottom-feeders, suitable for making Margaritas for the in-laws. Our evaluators didn't like the silvers in general, except for Patron's offering. And the Mezcal's as a group lagged in a big way.
We know, we know. It's unfair to compare a tequila with a Mezcal or a Reposado with Anejo, strictly speaking. But we're not all that strict around here and we felt that having a variety of tequilas that reflected, say, what you might find at a decent liquor store, would help readers decide what tequila is best for them.
Sure is better than staging one of those prim and proper sippings that bores everyone to tears and has absolutely no practical application.
Those of you who like to shop by brand will notice that two famous tequilas aren't mentioned at all. After doing a considerable amount of research, we concluded that one brand was too controversial -- in fact, we didn't feel comfortable including it as a tequila at all -- while the other practically begged us not to be featured in this tasting. (Guess they didn't want to invite a comparison.)
No matter. We believe we've assembled the finest tequilas available to our readers and have evaluated them in the most unbiased way.
Here are this month's results:
| Rank | Brand | Price | Score | Tastes Like ... |
| 1 | Don Julio Anejo | $45 | 99 | Brandy |
| 2 | Cabo Wabo Reposado | $51 | 98.5 | Light Oak |
| 3 | Chinaco Anejo | $53 | 98 | Pine Needles |
| 4 | Patron Reposado | $45 | 96.5 | Vanilla |
| 5 | El Tesoro Anejo | $54 | 96 | Smoke |
| 6 | Patron Anejo | $64 | 94.5 | Caramel |
| 7 | Patron Silver | $47 | 94 | Banana |
| 8 | Alcatraz Reposado | $33 | 93 | Gin |
| 9 | El Conquistador Reposado | $35 | 91.5 | Pear |
| 10 | Chinaco Reposado | $51 | 90 | Red Wine |
| 11 | Don Julio Silver | $40 | 89.5 | Pepper |
| 12 | El Tesoro Silver | $46 | 88 | Burnt Oak |
| 13 | Talapa Mezcal Reposado | $20 | 86.5 | Rubber |
| 14 | Encantado Mezcal | $40 | 82 | Burnt Rubber |
The editors of Cocktail.com would like to thank the manufacturers of the aforementioned tequilas for allowing us to evaluate their products.
