Sauza Tequila

Sauza is one of the oldest names in tequila — the distillery dates to 1873, and Don Cenobio Sauza is the man credited with establishing that tequila had to be made from blue agave specifically. What matters for buying, though, is that this collection spans three genuinely different tiers, and the labels do not make that obvious.

The entry tier: Hacienda

Sauza Hacienda Silver ($22.99) and Sauza Hacienda Gold ($24.99) are mixto tequilas — made with a minimum of 51% blue agave and the balance from other sugars, which is the legal floor in Mexico. That is the right thing to buy for a pitcher of margaritas where lime and orange liqueur are doing the heavy lifting, and the wrong thing to buy for sipping. At $22.99 and $24.99 they are priced accordingly.

The middle: Conmemorativo and Hornitos

Sauza Tequila Conmemorativo ($34.99) is a step up in both agave content and oak. Sauza Tequila Hornitos Anejo ($45.99) is the one most people have met — Hornitos is Sauza's 100% agave line, and the añejo has spent at least a year in oak, which puts it in vanilla-and-caramel territory rather than the bright pepper of a blanco.

The top: Tres Generaciones

Three bottles, one for each expression, all 100% agave and all worth treating as sipping tequila rather than mixer. Sauza Tequila Tres Generaciones Plata ($49.99) is unaged and the most direct expression of the agave itself. Sauza Tequila Tres Generaciones Reposado ($47.99) takes a few months in oak and is the best all-rounder of the three. Sauza Tequila Tres Generaciones Anejo ($54.99) is the longest-aged and the one closest to a whiskey drinker's palate.

The practical rule: if it is going in a cocktail, buy Hacienda; if it is going in a glass, start at Tres Generaciones Reposado. Everything in between is a question of how much oak you want.

Compare with the rest of the category in Tequila and Mezcal, try the format first via mini tequila bottles, or see Best Sellers.