Tequila is an easy gift to get right once you know what the person actually drinks. Some people want the famous bottle on the shelf. Some want a tequila that looks just as good without the Clase Azul outlay. Others care only about what is in the glass, and a few have already moved on to mezcal. This guide picks a bottle for each of them from our tequila range, and says who each one suits, so you can match the bottle to the person.
Quick picks
- Clase Azul Reposado: the reposado in the hand-decorated ceramic decanter, for the person who would love the famous bottle.
- Gran Cofradía Reposado: a reposado in a hand made, hand painted ceramic bottle, for a great tequila in a beautiful bottle without the Clase Azul outlay.
- Don Fulano Reposado: a reposado of highland agave aged in French oak, for the drinker who cares more about the tequila than the packaging.
Why Clase Azul became the tequila people give
For many people, Clase Azul is the name that comes to mind first for a tequila gift, and the reason is the bottle. Arturo Lomelí founded the company in Guadalajara in 1997, and the house describes its first white and cobalt blue decanter as a unique piece handcrafted by Mexican artisans. Clase Azul says it takes seven days, from raw clay to glazed brushstrokes, to craft the decanter for its Reposado.
If the person you are buying for wants the story behind the brand, our guide to what makes Clase Azul tequila so special covers it in full.
Clase Azul Reposado and Plata
The one they will recognise. Clase Azul Reposado is what Clase Azul calls "our first icon and signature creation". The producer says it is aged in American whiskey casks, and describes a pale gold tequila with cooked agave, agave nectar, candied orange peel, toasted wood and hints of hazelnut, clove and vanilla on the nose. On the palate it lists agave nectar, ripe orange peel, toasted hazelnut, bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon and clove. The decanter is hand decorated with feathered brushstrokes of cobalt blue.
It suits the person who likes a sipping tequila and would enjoy the decanter as much as what is in it. Clase Azul's own food pairings are semi-firm or smoked cow's milk cheese, pancetta, orange, red apple and corn, so it also sits well on a Christmas grazing board.
For the fan who already owns the Reposado. Clase Azul Plata is the house's unaged tequila, which Clase Azul says "captures the nuanced and fresh flavor of the agave". It comes in a clear glass decanter rather than ceramic, and the producer lists herbal notes, orange peel, lemon and green apple on the nose, with cooked agave and a citrus finish. It is the gift for someone whose Reposado decanter is already on display and who would like to taste the house's tequila without the cask. More from the house is in our Clase Azul collection.
The hand-painted alternative: Gran Cofradía
If you love the idea of a ceramic tequila bottle but not the Clase Azul outlay, this is the section to read.
The beautiful bottle. Gran Cofradía Reposado comes from La Cofradía, a family company that says it has produced and bottled tequila for more than 50 years. The Gran Cofradía edition is bottled in ceramic fired in kilns at 1,260 °C, and the producer says each bottle is "hecha y pintada a mano", made and painted by hand by its artisans, "como un regalo de México para ti": as a gift from Mexico to you. La Cofradía places Gran Cofradía in its Super Premium range.
It suits the person who would be delighted by a hand-painted bottle and who enjoys a reposado, and it is the gift for the buyer who wants a great tequila in a beautiful bottle without the Clase Azul outlay. Like every reposado, it has been matured in oak: Mexico's tequila standard, NOM-006, requires at least two months in contact with oak for the category.
The older sibling. Gran Cofradía Añejo comes in the same hand made, hand painted ceramic. Under the tequila standard, an añejo must be matured for at least one year in oak containers of no more than 600 litres. Choose it for the person who prefers a longer aged tequila to sip slowly, and who already has a reposado or two.
For more on what those two words mean on a label, our guide to reposado and añejo tequila takes you through them.
For the drinker who cares about the liquid more than the ceramic
Some tequila drinkers would rather the focus was on the tequila than the bottle. Don Fulano is the answer for them.
Don Fulano says it is the product of fifth generation agave farmers and distillers whose story begins in Atotonilco, in the Highlands of Jalisco, where their great grandfathers began cultivating agave 140 years ago. The family grows its agave in the Highlands, and the tequila is distilled at La Tequileña in the town of Tequila. The brand itself was born in 2002. Our Don Fulano article tells the longer story.
Reposado, for the everyday sipper. Don Fulano Reposado is described by the producer as "a marriage of mature highland agave in French limousine oak". Its tasting notes are cooked agave, aniseed, mature fruit compote, dark chocolate and white pepper. Don Fulano calls it a joy to sip on its own, with food or in a cocktail. Give it to the person who drinks tequila often and in more than one way.
Añejo, for the after-dinner sipper. Don Fulano Añejo is, in the producer's words, "a grand coupage of very old tequilas aged in French limousine and Nevers oak casks that previously held wines from Burgundy and the Loire". Don Fulano lists cooked agave, cardamom, dried peaches, roasted macadamia, clove and tobacco, and suggests it at the end of a dinner or with chocolate. It suits a wine drinker or a whisky drinker who is curious about aged tequila. The full range is in our Don Fulano collection.
For the agave explorer: mezcal
If the person on your list already knows their tequila, mezcal is the natural next bottle. The only agave tequila may use is one species, blue Weber agave. Mezcal makers work with other agave species as well, and the two bottles below use two different ones. Our mezcal vs tequila guide explains the rest.
A single region and a single agave. Domingo Mezcal Guerrero Papalote is made by the Obregón family in Mazatlán, Guerrero, from maguey papalote (Agave cupreata). Domingo describes elegant woods like cedar, green capsicum, clove and tobacco, then green flavours, persistence and a pleasant smoky note. It suits the tequila drinker who likes a reposado's spice and wants to try something wilder.
Something unusual for the collector. Mezcal Vago Elote is Vago's celebration mezcal. Dried kernels of heirloom corn are toasted on a comal and placed in the still with espadín agave for the second distillation, which gives a clear joven mezcal with a subtle corn flavour. Vago says adding another ingredient before the final distillation is typical of a traditional celebration mezcal. It is the bottle for the agave collector who seems to have everything. More options are in our mezcal range.
Familiar names for the casual tequila drinker
Not every tequila drinker wants a decanter or a mezcal. For someone who simply enjoys a tequila now and then, a familiar name is often the better gift.
- For the casual sipper: Camarena Añejo or Rooster Rojo Añejo. Both are añejos, so both have had at least a year in oak under the tequila standard. Either suits a person who likes an aged tequila over ice.
- For the margarita maker: Calle 23 Blanco. A blanco is the natural choice for someone who mixes, and our Christmas cocktails for an Australian summer include a Margarita and a Paloma to make with it. Our blanco tequila guide explains what to look for on the label.
If you are still unsure what style they drink, our tequila buying guide is a good place to start. Buying for more than one person? Our spirits gift guide by personality matches bottles to people, and our guides to whisky for Christmas and rum for Christmas do the same for other drinkers.
Where to start
- The famous decanter: Clase Azul Reposado.
- A beautiful bottle without the Clase Azul outlay: Gran Cofradía Reposado.
- For the Clase Azul fan who has the Reposado: Clase Azul Plata.
- A hand-painted añejo: Gran Cofradía Añejo.
- Tequila first, packaging second: Don Fulano Reposado.
- For after dinner: Don Fulano Añejo.
- The next step to mezcal: Domingo Guerrero Papalote.
- For the agave collector: Mezcal Vago Elote.
- For margaritas: Calle 23 Blanco.
The full range sits on our Tequila page, and we deliver to every Australian state and the ACT.