The World's Best Tequila—According To The 2025 World Spirits Championships
Tears Of Llorona Small Batch Extra Añejo Tequila
The Beverage Testing Institute (BevTest) is a 44-year-old organization committed to providing comprehensive, expert-led sensory evaluations for beer, spirits, cider, sake, and even mead. Panelists employ a scientific-degree of analysis to come away with professional-grade results. When it comes to hard liquor, specifically, it is constantly updating its scores across all major categories throughout the calendar year.
This June BevTest revealed its winners for tequila as part of an annual evaluation it aptly dubs the 'World Spirits Championships.' The top scoring bottle--earning an impressive 96 out of 100 possible points--was a small batch extra añejo from ultra-premium brand Tears of Llorona. Today we're going to take a closer look at that exact expression to understand what makes it so exceptional. Let's start off by seeing what the folks at BevTest had to say. Here are the tasting notes provided on the company's website:
The batch of 86-proof spirit they sampled was on May 29th of this year. As we stated before, the judges are quite methodical in their approach. But even using measured, scientific language, the brilliance of the juice shines through in their effusive praise.
The expression, formally known as Tears of Llorona No. 3, is a lowland tequila crafted by master distiller Germán González Gorrochotegui at the Tequileña distillery (NOM 1146). This is the same vaunted facility responsible for other top shelf expressions of agave spirit from brands including Cierto, Don Fulcano, and ArteNOM.
Gorrochotegui separates his product from the pack by using a combination of barrels seasoned with three separate types of alcohol: scotch, brandy and sherry. The industry standard is typically ex-bourbon; both cheaper and more-widely available than the aforementioned casks. By bearing the extra effort (and cost) to source this speciality cooperage he comes away with a rich and sophisticated sipping spirit that carries many of the leather-laden characteristics you might suspect from Speyside Scotch or XO Cognac.
Another way in which the liquid mines those deep flavors is by resting for an extended period of time in the luxe barrels. In order to be labeled an extra añejo a tequila must spend a minimum of 3 years in oak. Tears of Llorona matures for upwards of five. And yes, the oak extraction is pronounced as a consequence. Its finish is long and lush, painting the palate with broad brushstrokes of butterscotch and cinnamon. But there are still filaments of herbaceous agave earth to ponder--particularly in the nose of this tequila.
The product's name refers to a popular Latin-American ghost story of a grieving woman who wanders the land, shedding endless tears for the loss of her two young sons. The tale is frequently told as a cautionary one to children to discourage them from staying out too late at night. For the tequila, it's also meant to represent the tears of the angels; agave spirit that evaporates from the barrel during that lengthy maturation process.
As much as 50% of the liquid can vanish after 5 years in this climate--quite a sad story, indeed. And so the care and patience of Gorrochotegui's craft comes at an elevated cost, of course. A bottle of his top-scoring spirit retails for $230. But it's also offered in a unique 1-liter decanter, notably larger than the 750ml standard for distilled spirits. Too much of a good thing? Hardly. After sampling this 96-point belter the only tears to speak of will be your own, after you reach the end of the glass.
A Jimador (person who works on the agave plant) holds an agave pineapple on a field in Tequila, ... More Jalisco state, Mexico, on July 23, 2021, amid the International Tequila Day. (Photo by Ulises RUIZ / AFP) (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
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