Your bar cart deserves the best, and according to expert bartenders, its selection is seriously lacking without a quality reposado tequila on board.
Reposado, which means “rested” in Spanish, is a style of tequila that takes its character and flavor cues from barrel aging. It can spend up to one year in oak barrels, but the tequila must spend at least two months in the barrel to be labeled as reposado.
The changes in flavor begin in the barrel, which lends sweet notes of caramel and vanilla. That added complexity allows bartenders plenty of leeway to incorporate these tequilas into cocktails. That versatility can be especially useful for home bartenders, but reposado tequilas are also excellent served neat or on the rocks.
Due to the aging process, reposado tequila is noticeably different from blanco tequila. Reposado bottlings have a slightly darker color and a softer palate. Most land somewhere between being ultra-bold and tasting clean and light, like other agave spirits.
You might call reposado tequila the “Goldilocks” of the category. It can have enough bright distinction to use in a margarita, yet it can possess the barrel influence to sip over a large ice cube.
Some of the best reposados take cues from bourbon or scotch. Some top tequila producers experiment with secondary finishes and different types of wood barrels. Reposado tequila allows for maximum experimentation, whether in the barrel, behind the bar, or even as you whip up drinks at home.
Tequila Ocho Reposado
Food & Wine / Tequila Ocho
Tequila Ocho’s single-estate tequila approach blends terroir, agronomy, and the innate know-how of cofounder and master distiller Carlos Camarena. To listen to Camarena talk tequila is to hear a master at work.
Tequila Ocho recently launched a barrel-proof reposado at 101 proof (50.5% alcohol by volume). However, its flagship reposado more closely takes its flavor cues from blanco tequila, at 40% ABV.
For Molly Horn, the chief mixologist and spirits educator at Total Wine & More, the Tequila Ocho reposado lends itself to “a lovely minerality laced with bell and black pepper and sweet-cooked agave, with just the right amount of oak to smooth out the edges.”
Fortaleza Reposado
Food & Wine / Tequila Fortaleza
Certain names carry a bit of “if you know, you know” buzz among top drinks experts, and Fortaleza is one of them. Fortaleza sticks to time-honored methods, like cooking 100% agave in brick-and-stone ovens and the use of open-air fermentation. It gives the spirit a “traditional to the core” feel, says Derek Piva, executive chef at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge in Gold Beach, Oregon.
The rich, long finish and notes of vanilla, citrus, and cooked agave play equally well in a top-shelf margarita or as an on-the-rocks sipper, says Piva. It comes in a hand-blown glass bottle crafted in Mexico, topped with a distinctive agave plant stopper. It’s a nice visual touch that even non-tequila fans will appreciate.
El Tesoro Reposado
Food & Wine / El Tesoro
El Tesoro’s luscious reposado is aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels for as long as 11 months. It’s one of the most available, reliable, and satisfying bottles on the market and a favorite among industry insiders and enthusiasts alike.
El Tesoro experiments with limited-edition reposado offerings in its Mundial Series, where it ages agave spirit in barrels from big-name brands like Basil Hayden. For something more readily available, stick with the company’s flagship reposado, which manages to be sweet but smoky, with touches of oak and vanilla.
Cascahuín Reposado
Food & Wine / Tequila Cascahuin
Among tequila enthusiasts, bartenders, and experts, Chava Rosales, of El Arenal’s Cascahuín distillery, is considered one of the top producers in the world. Cascahuín’s high-end, limited releases are among the most sought-after tequilas each year, but the readily available core bottlings deliver similar quality at a fair price.
At 40% ABV, Cascahuín’s Reposado is anything but standard. It offers an earthy quality that’s offset by touches of vanilla and honey, another hallmark of the best reposados. At less than $70 retail, it’s a prime find with plenty of character.
Corrido Reposado
Food & Wine / Tequila Corrido
Barrel aging and secondary finishing are often used techniques that give whiskey depth and complexity. Artful barrel management can create similar complexity in tequila. Corrido’s reposado tequila uses a mix of Hungarian, Symphony, and Missouri American oak barrels to add plenty of depth to the finished product.
Horn calls Corrido’s reposado “an artistic expression of what a balanced reposado can be: complex, agave-forward, and subtly sweet, with notes that range from coconut and cinnamon to dried fruit and roasted nuts.”
Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara
Food & Wine / Casa Dragones
The mention of Mizunara can send whiskey fans into a frenzy. The Japanese wood takes an impossibly long time to grow and mature, which makes it rare and distinct when fashioned into casks.
Originally used to age Japanese whisky, Mizunara casks are expensive, difficult to use, and exceedingly rare in tequila production. Casa Dragones’ use of it in this reposado expression “feels really special” and lives up to the hype, at least for Dylan Capello, director of brand experience and culture at Nami Nori.
“The casks give it these subtle layers of orange blossom, apricot, and coffee bean on top of its naturally smooth vanilla, roasted agave, and almond notes,” says Capello.
El Ateo
Food & Wine / El Ateo
Some brands sell their reposado tequilas in ornate bottles and charge a sky-high premium. Yet, quality tequila shouldn’t break the bank. Affordable tequila can still be made with traditional production methods, like El Ateo’s often overlooked reposado, which Total Wine’s Horn calls “exemplary.”
Barrel aging is always a balancing act. Too much time can overpower the spirit. Reposado tequila must age between two months and a year. El Ateo’s flagship reposado lands closer to that two-month span. As Horn says, “the delicate use of oak on this lets the best qualities of unaged agave spirit shine.” It includes a touch of salinity, along with sweet agave, pepper, caramel, and honey.
