2025 SF World Spirits Competition Crowns Top Extra Añejo Tequila

Forbes

24-05-2025

The Extra Añejo Tequila finalists from the 2025 SFWSC
Five Tequilas have been chosen as finalists for the World's Best Extra Añejo Tequila at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The SFWSC is one of the largest and most prestigious spirit judging events in the world. Its results are closely followed by consumers and the beverage industry. The Top Shelf 2025 Awards Gala, a highly anticipated event in the Tequila industry, will reveal the winner on November 9 at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. Below are brief backgrounds and tasting notes on the finalists.
Cierto Tequila is an ultra-premium Tequila brand crafted by Master Distiller Enrique Fonseca at La Tequileña in Tequila. It is renowned for using mature, estate-grown Highland agave and traditional production methods. Cierto is prized for its smooth, complex flavor profile and claims to be free of additives.
The brand offers two main lines. The Private Collection emphasizes refined elegance and accessibility across its Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, and Extra Añejo expressions. The Reserve Collection represents a luxury tier with longer aging and a similar range of expressions. It is designed to showcase depth and richness, appealing to connoisseurs. Both lines consistently win medals in international spirit competitions, positioning Cierto as a benchmark for modern artisanal Tequila.
The Tequila is crafted using traditional methods and aged for over seven years in a mix of French and American oak barrels.
The Tequila is highly aromatic on the nose, showcasing roasted agave scents of salted caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, and gentle cinnamon. The palate is both refined and complex, revealing sweet agave, candied cherries, caramel, vanilla, aged leather, cinnamon, black pepper, and subtle herbal notes. The finish is long and sweet, with lingering hints of cherry syrup, caramel, and delicate traces of dried tobacco leaf.
Don Julio Tequila, located in Atotonilco el Alto, is one of Mexico's most iconic premium Tequila brands, founded in 1942 by Don Julio González. It uses hand-selected, mature Blue Weber agave and traditional slow-cooking methods to guarantee a smooth Tequila with layered, nuanced complexity. The portfolio features a range of expressions, from the crisp Blanco to the luxurious Ultima Reserva Extra Añejo. Recognized for pioneering luxury tequila, Don Julio has set a global standard for quality and craftsmanship.
The Tequila is aged for 36 months in a Solera-like system. It matures in bourbon barrels and finishes in Madeira wine casks.
The Tequila is aromatic and complex on the nose, featuring roasted agave notes of vanilla and caramel, dried and candied fruit—especially cherry—herbal green agave, and toasted oak notes with a slight minerality. It's fruity and sweet on the palate, with a nuanced, layered complexity that includes dark dried fruit, golden raisin, cherry, dried apricot, candied orange zest, honey, black pepper, and seasoned oak. The finish is long and sweet, with lingering honeyed agave and fruity notes.
Extra Añejo Tequila shots with lime and salt
El Tesoro Tequila is another iconic Mexican Tequila brand. Founded by Don Felipe Camarena in 1937, it's produced at La Alteña Distillery in Arandas in Jalisco's highlands. Known for preserving traditional methods, El Tesoro uses tahona-crushed agave, natural fermentation, and slow distillation to retain the full agave flavor. The Tequila is aged 4 to 5 years in ex-bourbon barrels made of American oak.
The Tequila is floral and aromatic on the nose, featuring roasted agave notes of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, coffee, cinnamon, and slight mineral notes. The palate is rich and fruity, showcasing coffee, dark chocolate, dried fruits, roasted almonds, seasoned wood, and hints of herbal notes. The finish is long, with lingering fruity and caramel notes,
1800 is produced by Casa Cuervo. The Tequila matures for approximately five years in ex-bourbon barrels made of American oak and is then finished for a short period in French oak Cognac barrels.
The Tequila offers hints of vanilla, red fruits, a touch of cinnamon, and well-seasoned oak notes on the nose. It's rich and layered on the palate, showcasing roasted agave notes of caramel and vanilla intertwined with red fruits, subtle cinnamon, and a smooth, balanced oak presence alongside herbal and chocolate hints. The finish is long and elegant with lingering notes of mint chocolate, seasoned oak, and subtle caramel and vanilla flavors.
Don Fulano is crafted by Master Distiller Enrique Fonseca and blended by Sergio Mendoza at La Tequileña in Tequila. This Extra Añejo Tequila is aged for a minimum of five years in dark European oak and finished in Oloroso sherry casks. According to the company, the Tequila is 100% additive-free.
The nose is fruity and complex, featuring dried figs and apricots, complemented by subtle roasted agave notes of caramel and well-seasoned oak. It's spicy on the palate, showcasing allspice, cinnamon, pepper, caramel, vanilla, and agave flavors. The finish is long and sweet, with lingering caramel, chocolate, and spicy notes.
These exceptional Extra Añejo Tequilas demonstrate a range of maturation methods, finishing techniques, and cask options. The result is a diverse array of aromas and flavor profiles that express layered and nuanced complexity. No matter your preference, you'll find a Tequila here to match your palate.