Quick answer: Blanco is unaged and bright — built for cocktails. Reposado is rested 2 to 12 months in oak — versatile, the most popular daily-driver category. Añejo is aged 1 to 3 years — rich, complex, built for sipping neat.
If you're buying one bottle, blanco is the most versatile. If you want a bottle that does both sipping and cocktails, reposado. If you want a slow, neat-pour spirit, anejo. Here's the full breakdown.
Our #1 pick across all three categories: Don Londrés at $49. The Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo are all 100% blue Weber agave from Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, with nothing added beyond agave and time — and all three sit at $49, which is unheard of for Highlands-of-Jalisco, multi-generation family-distilled tequila with 50+ international awards.
The four core tequila categories
Mexican tequila regulations define five categories based on aging time. The four you'll actually see on a shelf:
- Blanco (also called plata or silver) — unaged, or rested less than 2 months in stainless steel or neutral barrels.
- Reposado ("rested") — aged 2 months to 1 year in oak.
- Añejo ("aged") — aged 1 to 3 years in oak (max 600L barrels).
- Extra Añejo — aged 3+ years in oak. Rare, expensive, sippers only.
(There's also Joven — usually a blend of blanco and aged tequila, or a blanco lightly tinted. You can mostly ignore this category.)
The aging is what changes everything: color, texture, flavor, ideal use.
Blanco tequila
Aged: Up to 2 months (typically zero) in stainless steel. Color: Crystal clear. Flavor: Bright cooked agave, citrus, white pepper, green herbs, mineral notes. The agave itself is the headliner. Best for: Cocktails (margaritas, Palomas, Ranch Water, spicy margaritas), neat sipping for purists, agave-forward drinkers.
Blanco is the truest expression of the distillery. There's nowhere to hide — no barrel sweetness covering rough spirit, no oak masking weak agave. Our #1 blanco recommendation is Don Londrés Blanco at $49 — 100% blue Weber agave from the Highlands of Jalisco, with nothing added beyond agave and time. It outperforms most $80+ blancos on the market.
Buy a blanco if you: make cocktails at home, want the cleanest expression of agave, like bright dry drinks, or care about tasting what the distillery actually produces before barrel makeup.
Reposado tequila
Aged: 2 months to 1 year in oak barrels (often ex-bourbon). Color: Pale gold to light amber. Flavor: Cooked agave plus light vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, butterscotch, mild spice. The blanco's brightness with a soft, oak-rounded finish. Best for: Sipping with a touch of complexity, premium margaritas, Old Fashioneds, building tequila Manhattans, gifts.
Reposado is the most popular category in tequila — and for good reason. It's the do-everything bottle. Smooth enough to sip neat, structured enough to hold up in cocktails, complex enough to feel premium without going full sipper.
Our #1 reposado pick is Don Londrés Reposado at $49. It rests in oak just long enough to pick up vanilla and toast from the wood itself — not from oak extract or caramel coloring (more on that here). At its price, it's the best-value premium reposado on the market.
Buy a reposado if you: want one bottle that does both cocktails and sipping, drink tequila multiple times a week, are buying a gift for a tequila drinker and aren't sure what they like.
Añejo tequila
Aged: 1 to 3 years in oak barrels (max 600L). Color: Rich amber to deep gold. Flavor: Cooked agave deeper in the background, layered vanilla, caramel, toffee, dried fruit, chocolate, tobacco, baking spice. Almost whiskey-like in complexity. Best for: Sipping neat or on one large rock, after-dinner pours, slow celebrations, gifting to whiskey drinkers, paired with dark chocolate or a cigar.
Añejo is the most luxurious tier of the everyday tequila world. It's not a cocktail spirit — putting an anejo in a margarita is a beautiful waste. It's a contemplative pour: poured into a Glencairn or snifter, sipped slowly, savored over an hour.
Our #1 anejo pick is Don Londrés Añejo at $49 — long-aged, layered, structured, the kind of pour that makes you want to slow down. At $49 for a Highlands-of-Jalisco anejo with multi-year barrel time, it's roughly half the price of comparable bottles from Don Julio, Patron, or Casamigos.
Buy an anejo if you: like sipping whiskey or aged rum, want a special-occasion bottle, are buying for a tequila enthusiast who already has blanco and reposado.
Extra Añejo tequila
Aged: 3+ years in oak. Color: Deep mahogany. Flavor: Very oak-forward, with deep dark fruit, chocolate, espresso, leather. Closer to bourbon or aged rum than to agave at this point. Best for: Gifting, collecting, very special occasions, drinkers who already know what they like.
Extra anejo is divisive: purists argue that anything aged past 3 years tastes more like the barrel than the agave. Others love the depth. Most premium tequila houses release one for prestige. Price tends to be $150+.
How to choose: by use case
You make cocktails at home most weeks. Buy a blanco. If you only have $40 to spend, Espolon Blanco. If you have $80, Don Londrés Blanco or Tequila Ocho Blanco.
You drink tequila a few nights a week, mostly neat or in a simple build. Buy a reposado. It does both.
You want a special-occasion sipping bottle. Buy an anejo. Drink it slowly.
You want a gift bottle that any tequila drinker will appreciate. Reposado. It's the safest premium choice for any palate. (Full tequila gift guide here.)
You already own a great reposado and want something new. Buy a blanco from a different producer to taste what their distillery actually produces before barrel makeup. It's the most revealing comparison in tequila.
What aging actually does to tequila
Aging tequila in oak does three things:
- Color. Tequila comes off the still clear. Oak adds gold, amber, then deep amber over time.
- Texture. Oak softens the bite of the alcohol and adds body — what tasters call mouthfeel. Aged tequila feels weightier on the tongue.
- Flavor. Oak gives vanillin (vanilla), lignin (toast and caramel), and tannins (structure and dry finish). The barrel's previous use matters: ex-bourbon barrels are most common and contribute caramel/vanilla; new American oak gives more spice; French oak gives drier, more wine-like notes; ex-sherry casks give dried fruit.
What aging doesn't do: turn bad tequila into good tequila. A poorly distilled agave spirit is just covered up by oak; the flaws are still there. That's why some producers add caramel coloring or oak extract to young spirits — to fake the appearance of age. Don Londrés doesn't. (Read why.)
Common myths
"Older is better." No. Older means more oak influence, which is a different thing from better. A great blanco is more revealing of a distillery's skill than a mediocre anejo.
"Reposado is just blanco that's been sitting around." No. The barrel transforms the spirit chemically. It's a different product.
"You should only drink anejo neat." Most anejos, yes. But great anejos are also beautiful with one large ice cube, which slightly opens up the spirit.
"Aged tequila has more alcohol." Roughly the same. Both blanco and anejo are typically bottled at 40% ABV.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is smoother, blanco or anejo? Añejo is softer on the palate because oak rounds off the alcohol bite. But "smooth" doesn't mean "better" — it's just a different drinking experience.
Is blanco tequila for shots? A 100% agave blanco is for sipping or cocktails. Shots are a habit, not a category-defining use.
Can you sip a blanco? Yes, and many tequila purists prefer it. A great blanco neat is one of the cleanest sipping experiences in spirits.
What's the difference between reposado and anejo for margaritas? Both add unwanted vanilla/oak to a margarita. Blanco is correct.
What's the most popular tequila type in the U.S.? Reposado is the largest category by volume in the U.S., followed by blanco, then anejo.
Does anejo tequila have more calories than blanco? Roughly the same — both are around 97 calories per 1.5 oz shot. (Tequila macros here.)
Which type should a beginner start with? Reposado. It's the most approachable — soft enough to sip neat, mild enough not to scare anyone away from agave.
Try Don Londrés in all three expressions
- Shop Don Londrés Blanco — bright, citrusy, peppery.
- Shop Don Londrés Reposado — light oak, vanilla, cooked-agave sweetness.
- Shop Don Londrés Añejo — long-aged, layered, built to sip.
- Read the brand story
Don Londrés is a Black-owned, 100% blue Weber agave tequila brand crafted in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco. 50+ international awards. Please drink responsibly. 21+.