The Houses

Every house in the Index, from tahona traditionalists to the celebrity new wave, each with a full dossier.

This month's dossiers

Est. 1999 · NOM 1493 Fortaleza

Founded by Guillermo Sauza, the great-great-grandson of Don Cenobio Sauza, Fortaleza reviv…

4 bottles in the Index·scores 92 to 96

Est. 1937 · NOM 1139 El Tesoro

A historic highland brand from the La Alteña distillery in Arandas, El Tesoro remains taho…

3 bottles in the Index·scores 92 to 95

Est. 2015 · NOM 1579 G4

Made at Felipe Camarena's engineering-driven El Pandillo distillery, G4 blends deep-well a…

3 bottles in the Index·scores 91 to 93

The traditionalists

Tahona wheels, open fermentation, copper pots. The houses that never modernized, on purpose.

FortalezaNOM 1493 El TesoroNOM 1139 TapatíoNOM 1139 Siete LeguasNOM 1120 CascahuínNOM 1123 G4NOM 1579 ChamucosNOM 1443 SuerteNOM 1530

The estates

Single fields, named harvests, grower-distillers. Terroir treated the way wine treats it.

Tequila OchoNOM 1474 Don FulanoNOM 1146 FuentesecaNOM 1146 ArteNOMNOM 1146 El TequileñoNOM 1108 CimarrónNOM 1146 PasoteNOM 1579 123 OrganicNOM 1123

The giants

Global reach, industrial scale, marketing budgets. Judged here on liquid alone.

Don JulioNOM 1449 PatrónNOM 1492 HerraduraNOM 1119 EspolònNOM 1440 Clase AzulNOM 1558

The new wave

Founded in the boom. Some chase purity, some chase celebrity. The Index sorts them.

LeucadiaNOM , LaloNOM 1607 CazcanesNOM 1614 VolansNOM 1580 The Wild CommonNOM 1123 KomosNOM 1614 CasamigosNOM 1609 TeremanaNOM 1613 818NOM 1137 Código 1530NOM 1616 CincoroNOM 1471

Tequila Watch has no commercial relationship with any house listed here. Dossiers are reported from public records, distillery visits and the panel's own tastings.