May 19, 2026
The 30 Best Tequilas for 2026
As with bourbon, obituaries for the tequila industry have already been queued up. The boom is supposedly over and no one is drinking it any more. Time to move onto BuzzBallz…
As with bourbon, obituaries for the tequila industry have already been queued up. The boom is supposedly over and no one is drinking it any more. Time to move onto BuzzBallz…
And yet, premium tequila offerings continue to be eagerly pursued, new brands continue to arise, Kendall Jenner is still hawking 818 at Coachella, and, yes, the tequila market continues to grow, predicted to be up to a reported $14 billion by the end of 2026.
To be fair, and again, in a tune similar to bourbon, a certain kind of get-rich-quick playbook in tequila has also clearly vanished. Sales in certain categories have softened. Many once well-promoted bottles now gather dust on shelves. Everyone is suing everyone else. And George Clooney has moved onto NA beer.
Nevertheless, the bottles we tasted for this year’s roundup made for one of the most exciting spirits tastings we’ve had in awhile. Not just numbers-wise — we tasted nearly 200 submissions — but in the amount of surprises still out there.
Many of the longtime “big” brands are as good as ever, continuing to push the envelope whether through higher proofs or in more interesting production processes. While we likewise discovered quite a few upstart brands that showed commitment to terroir, agave-sourcing, and artisan techniques that can quickly get your bottle on any true tequila fan’s radar. That’s not to mention the brands trying new forms of barrel-aging, blending, and infusions to create spirits as good as we’ve ever tried.
After tasting through everything the category has to offer at the moment, we’ve whittled it down to the 30 bottles you should actually be buying right now. Here are VinePair’s 30 best tequilas for 2026.