The World's Best Tequila—According To The 2025 Agavos Awards
Manifiesto 56 Tequila Blanco from Trujillo Distillery
Earlier this year a panel of 26 spirits industry experts convened for the inaugural chapter of the Agavos International Spirits Competition. The awards were conceived to honor excellence across all categories of agave spirit. Although new on the scene, it promises to have an immediate impact thanks to the advanced knowledge of those running it; Agavos is the brainchild of Grover and Scarlet Sanschagrin, the husband and wife duo responsible for Tequila Matchmaker--the preeminent database for all things agave.
Hundreds of entries were submitted for the debut competition and they were blind-tasted and graded on a 100-point scale. Marks were meted out related to appearance, aroma, taste, and finish. After top scores were recorded for each of the major styles, a championship round brought them all head-to-head to determine an ultimate Best In Show.
Those results are now in and we can exclusively reveal the best bottle of agave spirit for 2025: Manifesto 56, a blanco tequila from the Trujillo distillery in Capilla de Guadalupe, Jalisco. Here's everything you need to know about the liquid…
The grand champion is an organic, 92.6-proof sipping spirit crafted from single estate agave in the fields of Los Altos, under the shadows of the distillery itself. It relies on extra-mature agave--a minimum of eight years in age--traditional tahona extraction and open-air (spontaneous) fermentation to come away with a juice that's brimming with earthy, mineral-forward notes. The agave is then double-distilled with its fibers in copper pots and bottled at still strength.
After resting in stainless steel, the product that emerges is a paragon of complexity. It noses with jalapeño peppers and spiced herbs. In the sip, a sweetness emerges reminiscent of canelé custard and cinnamon-dusted tres leches cake. The confection subsides as it retreats into the finish, leaving a faint residue of baking spice and freshly-cracked black pepper.
Overall it's a profoundly satisfying sip and one that goes down without a fight--especially considering its elevated proof point. Securing a bottle online is effortless as well. Trujillo Manifiesto 56 Tequila Blanco enjoys relatively widespread distribution here in the States. But it's by no means the cheapest un-aged tequila you'll find on shelves, with an average retail price encroaching upon the $70 mark. We shall soon see if Agavos recognition does anything to move the needle on that price point. $70 could ultimately end up feeling like a bargain for something so heavily sought after.
If you're a a devoted tequila aficionado exploring the silver-tinted field of Jalisco in the near future, you can always schedule a tasting experience at Tequileria Trujillo. The 56-year-old facility offers daily tours by appointment only. Meanwhile, even the most sedentary of agave fans can head over to the Agavos site to learn more about the other Best In Class winners. As always, follow along here, and we'll keep you updated on all the latest and greatest tipples to add to your shelf.
Aerial view of an agave plantation used to make tequila in Tequila, Jalisco state, Mexico, on July ... More 23, 2021, amid the International Tequila Day. (Photo by ULISES RUIZ / AFP) (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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