If your only experience with tequila is mixing it into a margarita or imbibing it in shot form with salt and a lime wedge, you’re really missing out. I get it. I’ve enjoyed my fair share of turbo-charged margaritas in my years of drinking, and I’ve partaken in a shot from time to time. But there’s so much more to this popular Mexican spirit than this.
Sure, there are bottom-shelf and bargain-priced plastic handles of tequila available at every liquor retailer from Bangor to Bakersfield. And yes, countless premium blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas are available that are worth your while. But there are also a handful of ridiculously expensive bottles available as well. Let’s dive into the most expensive tequilas you can (or can’t) get your hands on.
The most expensive tequilas
We aren’t messing around when we talk about “ridiculously expensive” bottles. We’re talking about long-matured tequilas housed in bejeweled decanters and bottles that fetch thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars.
Like some other spirits, the list of the most expensive tequilas includes both long-aged, nuanced tequilas and those housed in overly expensive bottles. What connects the two is the idea that all of the most expensive tequilas are found on the proverbial top shelf.
“For me, top shelf means craftsmanship, quality, and authenticity,” Chicago-based tequila educator Carlos E. Cuarta-Tovar told Chowhound.
Below, you’ll find our list of the five most expensive tequilas currently on the market. Like any spirit, this list is ever-changing and could change any day when another notable brand launched a diamond-encrusted Lalique decanter filled with 50-year-old tequila.
Ley Tequila 925 Diamante – $3.5 million
The world’s most expensive tequila is Ley Tequila 925 Diamante. The brand is so renowned for its lavish price tags that it even holds a Guinness World Record for the most expensive bottle. While the price is undoubtedly extreme, the bottle itself is every bit as much a treasure as the liquid inside. Made of pure platinum and encrusted with 4,100 diamonds, a bottle of 925 Diamante will make for a divine drink and stunning mantelpiece for a cool $3.5 million.
Tequila Ley Ultra Premium – $225,000
Tequila Ley Ultra Premium is what one might consider a bargain next to its sparkly sister. For just shy of a quarter million at $225,000, you can enjoy a six-year, barrel-aged tequila in a gorgeously gilded bottle of white gold, yellow gold, and platinum.
Clase Azul 15th-Anniversary Edition – $30,000
Clase Azul knows a little something about scarcity driving up prices. In the case of its 15th-anniversary bottle, only 15 were produced in all. Of those 15, only two can be purchased in $450,000 collections. Meaning only 13 bottles exist elsewhere. Each bottle of this rare tequila is uniquely hand painted and comes in a box inlaid with 24-carat gold. If you do manage to get your hands on one of these rare bottles, you can expect to swipe that Black Amex card for about $30,000.
Patrón En Lalique Series 3 – $10,000
For around $10,000, you can get your hands on a bottle of Patrón En Lalique Serie 3. The tequila inside is a blend of 14 Extra Añejo tequilas. It features notes of baked agave, charred wood, honey, dried fruits, and vanilla beans. Regardless of its seemingly young age, this tequila is priced the way it is because it’s bottled in a bespoke Lalique decanter that is sure to turn heads on your bar shelf.
Patrón En Lalique Series 2 – $7,500
Of course, the name Patrón is well known in the world of agave spirits. Its many varieties span a wide range of financial accessibility. But the En Lalique Series 2 is something rather special. At around $7,500 per bottle, this isn’t a tequila for your blended party drinks. Aged eight years in French oak, American oak, and Sherry barrels, this luscious spirit comes beautifully bottled in a crystal decanter.
