We love keeping our finger on the pulse of the tequila world, and each year we dive into the latest releases to see what’s worthy of your glass—and your money. This time, we zeroed in on 10 blanco tequilas that are relatively new to the market and seem destined for the spotlight.

We sent them to 21 members of our tasting panel, and guess what? We’ve never seen so many high scores in a blind tasting before!

Three of the ten products scored above 90 points, which is an average score we rarely see in blind tastings. In fact, all the scores trended higher than in previous blind tastings. The lowest-scoring tequila still hit an average above 85 points.

This means that there are plenty of aficionados-level tequilas entering the market, and there’s still room for exploration and surprises.

Here’s how it all broke down:

1) Lost Explorer Blanco (92.375)

There is a lot of buzz about this tequila, and for good reason. The first time we tasted Lost Explorer tequila we knew it was something special. Packed with tons of cooked agave flavor, it also carries minerals, earth, citrus, floral, and cinnamon notes. Its rich mouth feel makes it a pleasing sip.

It’s made by master distiller Enrique De Colsa at a distillery that gets very little attention from aficionados and content creators, Destileria El Magnifico NOM (1258), in Amatitan, Jalisco — proof that “unknown” distilleries are worthy of consideration.

Agaves are cooked slowly in brick ovens, then extracted with a roller mill. Fermentation is open-air using champagne yeast, and distillation is done in a stainless steel pot still.

You can get a bottle online from both Sip Tequila and Old Town Tequila for $49.99.

A blind tasting score over 92 is a big deal. If you haven’t tried this tequila yet, what are you waiting for?

It also grabbed Double Gold in the 2025 Agavos Awards, and even won a prize for best bottle design.

2. Carreta De Oro Blanco (90.75)

This tequila is made at Destiladora Juanacatlán (NOM 1551), in central Jalisco. This distillery was founded in 2004 by 40 agave farmers, who formed a collective and shared use of the facility to turn their agave into tequila. In 2020, the product was reformulated and released in a new bottle. It’s just now starting to gain wider distribution in the USA, and that’s why we included it in the lineup.

Aside from the presence of cooked agave, its cinnamon note also jumped. Tasters also detected anise, mint, floral, and grassy/herbal notes.

“This blanco is so incredibly smooth and well balanced,” one taster noted. “There’s something for everyone in this one.”

Agaves are cooked in a brick oven, extraction is via roller mill, fermentation is in stainless steel tanks, and distillation happens in a stainless steel pot still with copper coils. Then, it is aerated prior to bottling.

“It’s complex and flows well from nose to tongue to finish. Yum!,” one taster noted.

It won a gold medal at the 2025 Agavos Awards, and you can get it for $49.99 at the brand’s website.

3. Alto Canto Blanco (90.56)

Made at the brand new Tequila El Rocio distillery (NOM 1636), the highest altitude distillery in the state of Jalisco, towering above the town of Mazamitla, this tequila shines with its unique and rich profile. It leads with cooked agave, citrus, and mint.

“When I (smelled) this, I smiled. It’s all that I love in a tequila. It’s not fancy or flashy, it’s just delicious,” wrote one taster.

There’s some interesting complexity here, too: Mineral-rich, black pepper, honey, floral, earth, anise, and bell pepper all come to the party.

All of this complexity is a result of a rustic, small-batch production process involving small brick ovens, a tahona, open air wood fermentation tanks, ambient yeast, and spontaneous fermentation with agave fibers. Distillation is then done in copper pot stills.

What’s not to love?!

Of course, a true small-batch product with old school production methods is going to cost more, but we think you definitely get what you pay for. It’s currently selling at Sip Tequila for $79.99.

4. Lote M77 Noban Blanco (88.75)

This newcomer is aiming to define micro-batches – every lot has just 1,077 bottles. They’re also dedicated to old school production processes. Agaves are slowly cooked in stone ovens directly heated by burning wood, and then whole agave piñas are tahona crushed. They use open air spontaneous fermentation and small copper pot stills, which are also heated by direct flame.

It’s made at Tequilera Puerta de Hierro (NOM 1477), in El Arenal, Jalisco. (Yes, in the same place as Amatiteña, another rustic and traditional aficionado favorite.)

Tasters found the smoke, along with agave, earth, minerals and a slight malolactic funk. There’s also some citrus, anise, and grass in the mix.

“This tequila is unique, the nose is a knockout. It’s fun, it’s complex. It just keeps opening up as you dive in,” raved one taster.

You can get it from Old Town Tequila for $54.99, which is a great price for a truly small batch product.

5. Zumbador Blanco (88.68)

This tequila, made at the new Destileria El Sabino (NOM 1643) in the Highlands of Jalisco, in Jesus Maria, caught the tasters’ attention with its minty and peppery notes, followed by citrus, minerals, and a little brine.

“Finish is good. Tequila is good. I would definitely drink this again,” commented one taster.

Los Altos agaves are cooked in a brick oven, and then crushed with a tahona. Open air fermentation happens in both wood and stainless steel tanks, and then it is first distilled in stainless steel pots, followed by a second distillation in a copper pot still.

There’s been some aficionado buzz about this tequila lately, so we weren’t surprised to see that it was awarded a gold medal in the 2025 Agavos Awards.

It’s also well-priced, at around $25 at Old Town Tequila. Where else can you find a tahona-crushed tequila for such a great price?

6. TIE: Matíari Blanco (87.3125)

Tequilera Tateposco (NOM 1632) is a fairly new distillery in Amatitan that not many people get to visit, which is a shame. We don’t expect that to last for long, because if they keep making products like this one the aficionado crowd will start knocking on the distillery door. This is a distillery both brick ovens and autoclaves, tahona and roller mills, copper and stainless steel stills, and it’s conveniently located on the highway just as you enter Amatitan.

Matíari Blanco is made there, using a brick oven, and a blend of tahona and roller mill. It’s fermented in stainless steel tanks and distilled in copper pots.

“Aroma is a little sweet, like candy, and a little flowery. The taste has some cooked agave sweetness,” noted one panel member.

Others found citrus (lime, orange zest), pepper (black and white), melon, anise, olive and brine.

However, several tasters noted alcohol on the finish, giving it a slight ding in the ratings.

You can get it online at High-Time Wine Cellars for just $35 USD.

6. TIE: El Ultimo Agave Blanco (87.3125)

If you’re an old time tequila drinker, you may remember this brand. It was a popular and affordable sipper that many of our friends would drink in California. It seemed to disappear from shelves for a while, until recently, when Iliana Partida took over the distillery and brought it back.

It’s made at the Hacienda de Oro distillery (NOM 1522), in Amatitan, Jalisco, using agave from the Tequila Valley. Cooking is done with an autoclave, extraction is with a small roller mill, fermentation is spontaneous open air, and distillation happens in a stainless steel pot still.

“This tequila has some upfront sweet notes that blend with the pepper and mild cinnamon to create a great balance and harmony. Great sipper… I’d highly recommend it,” wrote one taster.

Tasters found cooked agave, vegetal notes like jalapeño, bell pepper, celery, grass, anise, citrus, limestone, and brine.

There are a lot of solid tequila coming from Hacienda de Oro lately, and this is one of them. This tequila isn’t widely available yet, but it’s coming. We paid $25 for the bottle, which means this could very well become an affordable, regular sipper once again.

8. Puro Potro Blanco (86.68)

This budget-conscious product comes from the team behind Tequila Cabal, and is designed to work great in cocktails and sipping neat. The 1-liter bottle sells for just $29.99 at Old Town Tequila.

Tasters found all sorts of agave here, both raw and cooked. There’s some pronounced black pepper spiciness going on, along with celery, grass, banana, and melon.

“Overall, I enjoyed this and could see myself pulling it out to show people (its) unique flavors,” wrote one taster.

The finish is pretty clean, somewhat short, which makes it easy to drink, and great for cocktails.
Bonus points: It’s 42% abv (84-proof).

It’s made at Productores de Agave y Derivados de Degollado (NOM 1514), in Degollado, which is located in the Ciénega region of Jalisco.

Agaves are cooked in an autoclave, and extraction is via roller mill. Distillation happens in a stainless steel pot still with a copper coil.

This is yet another versatile well-priced option for you to consider, so if you see it, give it a try and let us know what you think.

9. Pedro Furtivo Blanco (86.0)

Made in the town of Tequila by yet another distillery that doesn’t get much time in the spotlight, Corporacion Ansan (NOM 1360), Pedro Furtivo Blanco pleased tasters with its clean agave and subtle aromas.

“This one is really nice! Agave, minerals, and brine on (the) nose and palate,” commented one taster.

Aside from cooked agave, the tasters tended to comment most about the sweet vanilla, honey, and caramel aromas, followed by the overall minerality of its flavor, calling out limestone, wet earth, rainwater, and even chalk.

But, it maintains some subtlety and our tasters identified it as a workhorse regular sipper.

The production process has all of the things that tequila geeks look for: Agaves are cooked in a brick oven, extraction is via a roller mill, and it’s distilled twice in a copper pot still.

We bought bottles from their website for $39 USD. for a 750ml bottle, and raters scored it above average in value.

10. Madre Blanco (85.06)

This tequila’s “funky” aromas – some said sour, others said malolactic – grabbed tasters’ attention, followed by grassy, herbal, and brine notes. This is the profile that the Tequila El Tepozan distillery (NOM 1584) is known for, and it can be often divisive, but definitely unique.

We put this into the lineup because it’s a profile that Grover enjoys because it is “an honest and real example of a fermentation process that allows the yeast to show a unique personality.”

“On the palate, bold anise and peppermint lead the way, joined by cocoa and a continued lactic note,” wrote one taster.

Made at Tequila El Tepozan, in San Julian, Jalisco, this 48% abv sipper uses single estate agaves and a traditional production process. Cooking happens in brick ovens, fermentation is in stainless steel tanks, extraction is a roller mill/screw mill combination, and distillation uses stainless steel pot stills.

If you’re interested in a tequila that has its own personality, give this a try. It might help you discover a new realm of tequila possibilities.

You can buy it from Old Town Tequila for $46.99.

Give this a try and let us know what you think. Which other newcomers should we try next?

The post The Best New Blanco Tequilas You Need to Try in 2025 appeared first on TasteTequila.