Best High Proof Tequilas

Just because a Tequila has a high alcohol content doesn’t mean it has to be harsh.

Here’s a collection of the Best high-proof Tequilas that are still smooth and enjoyable to drink.

Terralta Blanco 110

• Nose: Cooked agave, earth, mineral, anise, alcohol
• Palate: Agave, olive, mint, pepper, cinnamon
• Alcohol content: 110 proof (55% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Taste:

Nose brings a bit of alcohol heat that fades as you let it breathe, followed by cooked agave, earth, minerals and a touch of anise.

On the palate, Terralta feels incredibly full bodied as it feels creamy.

Flavor brings a warming note at first, but is not harsh, with the taste of blue agave, olive, mint, cinnamon and a tad of black pepper.

The finish lingers forever, with a tad of pepper, agave and pleasing warmth that heats the chest.

Is it good?

The nose will lead you to believe that this is a harsh monster but the palate tells another story as it’s remarkably smooth for something bottled at such proof.

Rich in agave flavor, minerals with a satisfying finish that lingers providing a great experience.

Terralta Blanco 110 sits at a price just around $50 making a no-brainer.

Crafted at El Pandillo along G4 which is one of my favorite brands as they only produce authentic Tequilas.

Cazcanes No. 9 Blanco

• Nose: Clove, cinnamon, agave, salt
• Palate: Agave, asparagus, anise, pepper
• Alcohol content: 100 proof (50% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Taste:

The nose is uncommon to Blanco Tequilas as it hits with notes of clove and cinnamon at first followed by roasted agave and a mineral touch.

On the palate, Cazcanes provides a great mouthfeel as it feels velvety coating the tongue.

Flavor is hits hard with agave flavor, followed by a vegetal note of asparagus, with a touch of anise and just a drizzle of black pepper.

The finish has a solid length, with some spice to it and the warmth that you expect from a 100 proof release but is not harsh, this is the pleasing heat that warms your chest.

Is it good?

Cazcanes No. 9 is one of the Best Blanco Tequilas as it hits with the right flavors that you expect from this type of Tequila.

It feels a bit warm as you might expect from a high-proof Tequila but it drinks quite nicely as it’s not harsh providing a good experience from nose to finish.

Another biggie about Cazcanes is that it’s free of additives as I don’t detect any foreign flavors providing a legit experience.

Fuenteseca Cosecha 2018

• Nose: Agave, earth, brine, pepper
• Palate: Agave, brine, green olives, mango, papaya
• Alcohol content: 89.6 proof (44.8% ABV)
• How to drink: Neat

Taste:

The nose offers a blast of cooked agave, along with an earthy note, brine, and a drizzle of black pepper.

On the palate, Fuenteseca feels full-bodied and oily, providing a great mouthfeel.

The first sip hits with agave flavor, along with a rich mineral note and green olives.

There is a fruity note that comes through, bringing hints of mango and papaya.

The finish is long with very little heat, despite the high 90 proof, and has a soft touch of vanilla and black pepper.

Is it good?

Fuenteseca will change the way you understand Tequila, as it hits with an incredibly rich flavor and yet is quite smooth and easy to drink.

This is something you should be drinking, even though I know paying more than $100 for a blanco tequila sounds excessive; but Fuenteseca is worth every penny and one of the top 5 Tequilas to buy!

Fortaleza Still Strength

• Nose: Roasted agave, orange peel, green olive
• Palate: Agave, fruity notes, green olive, minerality
• Alcohol content: 92 proof (46% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Taste:

Cooked agave on the nose that you can smell from across the room, followed by orange peel, olive and a tad of ethanol.

The body is incredibly buttery, with a little heat that doesn’t burn.

Flavor hits hard with agave and ripe fruit sweetness along the signature green olive note of Fortaleza and some minerality.

Finish is long, earthy, warming with pleasant alcohol tingle, a dash of black pepper and salty caramel.

Is it good?

Fortaleza Still Strength delivers most of the flavors of Fortaleza Blanco but it comes with more body as it feels remarkably creamy and bolder in flavors making an upgrade over an already great Tequila.

It drinks nicely neat, but add a large ice ball avoiding dilution if you feel the heat.

Over time you will accustomed to this nice warmth and will find a hard time to drink conventional Tequilas.

Tapatio 110

• Nose: Agave, black pepper, grapefruit
• Palate: Agave, pepper, lime, mint, orange
• Alcohol content: 110 proof (55% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks, High-end cocktails

Taste:

There is alcohol on the nose at first that rapidly gives way to cooked agave, along black pepper and a touch of grapefruit.

On the palate, Tapatio 110 feels creamy providing a great mouthfeel.

It hits with pleasing warmth that gives way to natural blue agave sweetness, lime, mint, orange and a subtle mineral and spicy hit.

The finish lingers with more pleasing warmth to it and agave sweetness.

Is it good?

What makes Tapatio 110 special is that despite the high proof it doesn’t feel warm, drinks quite nicely and it’s a great option when in the mood to make overly tasty cocktails.

It’s also good on its own as you can sip it rocks, just make use to use a large ice ball avoiding dilution.

Arette Fuerte Artesanal 101 Blanco

• Nose: Agave, brine, alcohol
• Palate: Agave, black pepper, asparagus, cinnamon
• Alcohol content: 101 proof (50.5% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks, High-end cocktails

Taste:

The nose brings a strong hint of agave, along brine and just a whiff of alcohol that fades away as you let it breathe.

On the palate, Arette provides a great mouthfeel as it feels viscous.

Flavor has a warming note, but is not harsh, with cooked agave flavor, black pepper, asparagus and a good hit of baking spice coming behind.

The finish lingers with pleasing warmth on the way down and a drizzle of cinnamon.

Is it good?

Arette is one of my favourite Tequila brands and it does not disappoint with this release.

It lets you feel the heat but is not harsh, full of agave and oily providing a great sip for those who want a kick out of their drink.

Cascahuin Blanco 11 Brix

• Nose: Agave, mineral, pineapple, cinnamon
• Palate: Agave, black pepper, orange, anise
• Alcohol content: 106 proof (53% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Taste:

The nose is rich in minerals as they hit first, followed by agave, a fruity pineapple note and cinnamon.

On the palate, the first sip provides black pepper up-front, but nothing too severe, along roasted agave, orange and a touch of anise while coating the mouth with a thick creamy body.

The finish is long and pleasantly warm, with a rich brine note to it and black pepper.

Is it good?

The first sip feels a bit warm and peppery but gives way fast to a better experience, matter of a bit of persistence.

I found it to be an improvement over my much beloved Cascahuin Blanco Tahona which I consider one of the Best Blanco Tequilas and one of my personal favourites.

Gran Dovejo Blanco High Proof

• Nose: Agave, concrete, earth, asparagus
• Palate: Mineral, agave, cinnamon, pineapple
• Alcohol content: 98 proof (49% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Taste:

Nose has a funky concrete note to it along earth making it unique; there’s also agave and asparagus.

Flavor is rich in minerals as it tastes salty, giving way to natural agave sweetness, cinnamon, black pepper and pineapple.

The finish is long with a pleasing bite, more salt and a drizzle of cinnamon.

Is it good?

It left me a bit thirsty as it’s rich in salt but quite enjoyable with very little heat despite the high proof.

Entirely satisfying and priced around $50 making it a steal given the quality of the Tequila, the high proof and that it’s completely legit as it has no additives.

Caballito Cerrero Chato Blanco 46

• Nose: Agave, smoke, grass, lime
• Palate: Agave, smoke, mango, lime, melon
• Alcohol content: 92 proof (46% ABV)
• How to drink: Rocks

Caballito Cerrero is not a Tequila as it’s not made with blue agave but with espadin agave which is quite similar in taste and is typically used to make Mezcal.

Taste:

The nose is super rich and interesting as it brings agave at first, along a subtle hit of smoke, grass, lime and a bit of ripe fruit.

Flavor is roasted agave and rich in ripe fruit with notes of mango, lime and melon with just a tiny hint of smoke that doesn’t overwhelm other flavors.

The finish is long and pleasantly warm and entirely satisfying.

Is it good?

It is not a Tequila and neither is it a Mezcal, but it is an incredible intersection between the two.

Smoke is barely present making it more interesting yet quite subdued allowing you appreciate other flavors.

If you like Tequila and are curious about Mezcal this is a great starting point.

Which is the best way to drink a high proof Tequila?

I assume that if you are reading this you are a grown-up who can handle bold flavors so the best way to go is either neat or rocks.

If you decide to go rocks make sure adding a large ice cube to your tumbler glass as you don’t want to water-down the Tequila.

Adding water to Scotch or bourbon works wonders but the trick fails with Tequila as it does not get better when watered-down.

Another solution is to chill your glass in the freezer before serving, I consider this to be better than adding adding.