Tequila brand guide
A 70% agave Blanco, a 100% agave Platinum, Gran Reserva blends and a six-year Reposado make this an unusually varied range. The useful differences are in the full expression names.
Explore the bottles ↓
A Tequila-town producer
El Tequileño combines Highland agave with a long-established Tequila distillery
Don Jorge Salles Cuervo founded El Tequileño in 1959 at La Guarreña in Tequila, Jalisco. The distillery brings in Highland agave and uses volcanic spring water, autoclaves, open fermentation vats and copper stills.
Paradise Spirits acquired El Tequileño in 2017. Third-generation master distiller Jorge Antonio “Tony” Salles has led production since 2008.
Standard El Tequileño Blanco gets 70% of its fermentation sugars from blue agave; the rest come from other sugars. Platinum and regular Reposado are 100% agave. Gran Reserva, Rare, Cristalino and Still Strength make further changes in blending, vessel, filtration or proof.
El Tequileño’s family timeline · The dated distributor and parent-company announcement
People and collaborations
The Salles family makes the tequila; Sam Heughan joins a named collaboration
Don Jorge Salles Cuervo
Founder
Established El Tequileño at La Guarreña in 1959.
Jorge Antonio “Tony” Salles
Third-generation master distiller
Became master distiller in 2008. He leads production and selected the 65 Aniversario blend with his father.
Juan Antonio Salles
Previous master distiller; Gran Tequilero and blending collaborator
Tony’s father received the Gran Tequilero title in 2018 and co-selected the 65 Aniversario barrels.
Paradise Spirits
Brand owner; acquired El Tequileño in 2017
Acquired El Tequileño in 2017.
Sam Heughan
Sassenach Spirits founder and El Tequileño collaboration partner
Joined Antonio Salles for The Sassenach Select Double Wood Reposado. The Salles family and La Guarreña make the tequila.
The Sassenach Select is a Double Wood Reposado created with Sassenach Spirits founder Sam Heughan and Antonio Salles. The maker describes two years in American oak pipones followed by four months in French oak. This is a specific collaboration in El Tequileño’s wider range; the core brand dates back to 1959.
For other collaborations, explore the celebrity tequila and agave spirits guide.
Choose the exact label
Blanco, Platinum and Reposado answer different price and agave questions
These eight photographed 750 mL reference expressions are 40% ABV except Still Strength, which is 50%.
Standard Blanco and Platinum both receive the maker’s brief fourteen-day American-oak mellowing, but their agave categories differ. Regular Reposado is 100% agave and spends three months in American oak. Reposado Gran Reserva uses a minimum eight-month base blended with eighteen-month añejo; Añejo Gran Reserva blends its minimum eighteen-month añejo with extra añejo.
Flavor notes below are the maker’s descriptions.
- Blanco
Blanco
40% ABV
14 days in American oak
$25US shop price
About $17 a shot2 US menus · October 2026 · small sample
Cooked agave, herbs, anise and black pepper.
- Reposado
Reposado
40% ABV
3 months
$27US shop price
About $14 a shot2 US menus · October 2026 · small sample
Sweet cooked agave, vanilla, dry oak finish.
- Blanco
Platinum
40% ABV
14 days in American oak
$40US shop price
About $14 a shotBlanco Cocina + Cantina, Scottsdale · October 2026 · small sample
Cooked agave, herbs, anise, pepper, slight spice and savory notes.
- Reposado
Reposado Gran Reserva
40% ABV
At least 8 months; blended with 18-month añejo
$50US shop price
Banana, caramelized pear, nutmeg, vanilla, toffee and macadamia.
- Añejo
Añejo Gran Reserva
40% ABV
At least 18 months; blended with extra añejo
$70US shop price
Toasted oak, vanilla, cooked agave, caramel, chocolate, nuts and cinnamon.
- Reposado
Reposado Rare
40% ABV
6 years in a large American oak vessel
About $30 a shotBlanco Cocina + Cantina, Scottsdale · October 2026 · small sample
Vanilla, honey, black pepper, cooked agave, marzipan and oak.
- Blanco
- Higher proof
Still Strength Blanco
50% ABV · 100 proof
Blanco; unfiltered
$56US shop price
Roasted agave, fig, orange zest, florals, lemon peel and white pepper.
- Cristalino Reposado
Cristalino
40% ABV
4 months, then charcoal filtered
Pineapple, mango, pear and light vanilla.
Rare, Sassenach Select and 65 Aniversario take different barrel paths
Reposado Rare spends six years in a large American oak vessel. The Sassenach Select’s American oak pipones and later French oak stage also give it a much longer maturation than regular El Tequileño Reposado’s three months.
Tony and his father Juan Antonio Salles selected the 65 Aniversario Extra Añejo blend from three-year previously filled French oak, four-year-one-month new French oak and four-year-nine-month American ex-Jack Daniel’s barrels. The maker released 1,000 bottles in crystal decanters, each with a numbered certificate and presentation box.
How it is made
Autoclaves, volcanic water and copper pots are the common production thread
El Tequileño sources Azul agave (A. tequilana) from Los Altos de Jalisco. It says Don Jorge introduced steam-pressure autoclaves in 1959, and describes removing the bitter cogollo before cooking. Volcanic spring water from the Tequila volcano is used during milling.
The juice ferments in open concrete vats. The brand attributes part of its tropical-fruit character to fermentation near the distillery’s old mango trees. All its tequilas are distilled in copper pot stills. Aging varies by expression: fourteen days for Blanco and Platinum, three months for regular Reposado, or four months followed by charcoal filtration for Cristalino.
La Guarreña is at Chiapas 51 in Tequila, Jalisco. Its producer is Jorge Salles Cuervo y Sucesores, NOM 1108.
La Guarreña · Tequila, Jalisco
Official production details · La Guarreña’s location and NOM
What it costs
El Tequileño bottle prices
Regular Reposado is the least expensive 100% agave bottle in this comparison, around $27. Platinum costs about $40; Gran Reserva brings older blended tequila for around $50–70.
| Bottle | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Blanco | $25 |
| Reposado | $27 |
| Platinum | $40 |
| Reposado Gran Reserva | $50 |
| Añejo Gran Reserva | $70 |
| Still Strength Blanco | $56 |
Prices are subject to change.
Price sources and details
US bottle listings, checked October 4, 2026. Tax and delivery are extra.
- Old Town Tequila: Blanco, about $25 (750 mL). In stock online.
- Old Town Tequila: Reposado, about $27 (750 mL). In stock online.
- Old Town Tequila: Platinum, about $40 (750 mL). In stock online.
- Old Town Tequila: Reposado Gran Reserva, about $50 (750 mL). In stock online.
- Old Town Tequila: Añejo Gran Reserva, about $70 (750 mL). In stock online.
- Old Town Tequila: Still Strength Blanco, about $56 (750 mL). In stock online.
Is El Tequileño additive free?
Yes. El Tequileño’s July 2022 announcement reported Tequila Matchmaker confirmation for its eight-expression range, including standard Blanco.
Still Strength and 65 Aniversario came later and need separate evidence. The older confirmation also appears in our additive free brand list.
Sources and earlier records
The July 25, 2022 announcement named Blanco, Reposado, Platinum, Reposado Gran Reserva, Cristalino, Añejo Gran Reserva, The Sassenach Select and Reposado Rare. Its additive free statement covers that portfolio.
El Tequileño US rollout and additive statement (2022) · Spirited Agave additive free brand list — August 2025
Choose your pour
Choose El Tequileño for cocktails, sipping or a gift
| Bottle | Choose it for |
|---|---|
| Blanco | A lower-cost Batanga with cola and lime. |
| Platinum | A 100% agave Margarita, or an agave-focused pour neat or over ice. |
| Reposado | A Margarita or Paloma with a light oak accent at the lower end of this range’s prices. |
| Reposado Gran Reserva | An Old Fashioned or a pour over ice with older tequila in the blend. |
| Añejo Gran Reserva | Sipping when you want more of the maker’s toasted oak, chocolate and nut flavors. |
| Reposado Rare | A neat pour to explore six years of maturation in a large oak pipón. |
| Still Strength Blanco | Higher-proof sipping or a cocktail base at 50% ABV. |
| Cristalino | An aged, filtered pour over ice or with soda. Our Cristalino guide explains the filtration. |
For a gift, The Sassenach Select suits someone interested in the Sam Heughan collaboration. The 65 Aniversario suits a recipient who values its limited blend and crystal decanter. Reposado Gran Reserva or Añejo Gran Reserva is a simpler choice for someone who mainly wants a bottle to sip.
Other bottles around the same price
At around $27, regular El Tequileño Reposado sits close to Altos Reposado in our October US check. Platinum’s roughly $40 price puts it alongside Ocho Plata, with its estate and harvest focus.
For another Tequila Valley distillery, explore Fortaleza. It changes the cooking and milling to stone ovens and a tahona, but its bottle availability is more difficult in our shop sample.
Quick answers
Questions about El Tequileño
Is El Tequileño Blanco 100% agave?
No. The maker describes standard El Tequileño Blanco as 70% agave. El Tequileño Platinum is the 100% agave blanco, while the regular Reposado is also 100% agave.
What does El Tequileño Blanco’s 70% agave mean?
Seventy percent of the fermentation sugars used to make standard El Tequileño Blanco come from blue agave; the rest come from other sugars. This is commonly called a mixto tequila. El Tequileño Blanco is 40% ABV in the US.
Who owns and makes El Tequileño?
Paradise Spirits owns El Tequileño, following its 2017 acquisition. Jorge Antonio “Tony” Salles leads production at La Guarreña, the Tequila distillery his grandfather founded in 1959.
Is El Tequileño Reposado the same as Reposado Gran Reserva?
No. Regular El Tequileño Reposado is 100% agave and spends three months in American oak. El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva starts with tequila aged at least eight months and adds eighteen-month añejo.
Why is El Tequileño Reposado Rare called Reposado after six years?
El Tequileño Reposado Rare keeps the reposado name because its maturation vessel exceeds the 600-liter maximum allowed for añejo and extra añejo. Ten Locks’ January 2024 portfolio describes a 25,000-liter American-oak pipón. The tequila standard sets that 600-liter limit for añejo and extra añejo, while its reposado definition has no equivalent vessel-size ceiling. The maker’s current Rare page still gives six years of maturation.
Is El Tequileño Cristalino an unaged blanco?
No. El Tequileño Cristalino spends four months in American oak and is then charcoal filtered to remove color. It is an aged tequila despite its clear appearance.
Does Sam Heughan make all El Tequileño tequila?
No. Sam Heughan’s Sassenach Spirits partnered with Antonio Salles for The Sassenach Select. The Salles family makes El Tequileño at La Guarreña; the core brand predates that collaboration.
Is El Tequileño additive free?
Yes. El Tequileño’s July 2022 announcement reported Tequila Matchmaker confirmation for its eight-expression range, including standard Blanco. Still Strength and 65 Aniversario were released later and need separate evidence. The older confirmation also appears in our additive free brand list.
Sources and photographs
Product facts and flavor notes: the producers linked below. Retail price sources appear beside the price comparison. Bottle photographs: brand and importer sources.
- El Tequileño US rollout and additive statement (2022)Checked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño Añejo Gran ReservaChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño BlancoChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño CristalinoChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño distilleryChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño PlatinumChecked 2026-10-04.
- How El Tequileño tequila is madeChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño Reposado RareChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño Reposado Gran ReservaChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño ReposadoChecked 2026-10-04.
- The Sassenach Select by El TequileñoChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño Still StrengthChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño historyChecked 2026-10-04.
- El Tequileño Extra AñejoChecked 2026-10-04.
- NOM-006-SCFI-2012: tequila maturation vessel definitionsChecked 2026-10-04.
- Ten Locks: January 2024 portfolio, El Tequileño Reposado RareChecked 2026-10-04.
- Spirited Agave additive free brand list — August 2025Checked 2026-10-06. August 2025 list preserves earlier Tequila Matchmaker entries.