7 Tequila Blancos To Try If You Love Jose Cuervo

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Jose Cuervo is one of the most iconic, popular tequila brands in the world. As the best-selling tequila in the U.S., it's favored for its affordability, versatility, and crisp, clean taste that works well as a mixer or sipper, depending on the collection. If you're a fan of Jose Cuervo and tequila blanco, there are several other brands that offer similar flavor profiles and price points, as well as 100% blue Weber agave purity and the absence of artificial additives. 

Blanco (or silver) tequila is one of the most commonly consumed types of tequila, often used in margaritas and palomas or for tequila shots. It is typically bottled immediately after distillation (although it can be aged for up to two months), giving it a strong agave-forward flavor. Blanco tequila is known for its earthy, citrusy, and peppery notes. For more information, discover what you should know before taking another sip of tequila. 

There are multiple blanco tequilas under the Jose Cuervo name, the most popular being Jose Cuervo Especial Silver and Jose Cuervo Tradicional Blanco. Jose Cuervo Especial Silver is an entry-level, mixto tequila, made with at least 51% agave, while Tradicional Blanco is an award-winning tequila made with 100% blue Weber agave. Whether you are in search of a Jose Cuervo alternative for mixers, shots, or sipping, expand your collection with these other blanco tequilas that might just become your new favorites. As a bonus, like Cuervo, they are all budget-friendly, costing around $20 to $30. 

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Espolòn Blanco is a popular 100% blue Weber agave tequila many people consider a great value spirit. This platinum cast, unaged tequila delivers a sweet agave, tropical, and citrusy aroma, and a flavor profile that includes notes of vanilla and pineapple, with a light peppery finish. It can be sipped straight or used for shots, but is more often considered a mild-tasting, affordable tequila for mixing in margaritas and palomas. Depending on location, Espolòn Blanco costs around $23 for a standard, 750-milliliter bottle.

Espolòn Tequila was founded by master distiller Cirilo Oropeza in the mid-1990s. It's made at the San Nicolás Distillery, a state-of-the-art tequila production facility in the Jalisco Highlands in Mexico. In naming the tequila Espolòn, the Spanish word for spur, Oropeza was inspired by the rooster, a symbol of pride in Mexican culture. Spur has a double meaning that Oropeza drew from, referring to the pointy spurs found on the back of a rooster's foot and the motivation to move business forward. 

Besides being an accessible and additive-free tequila, Espolòn captivates tequila drinkers with its unique bottle design featuring calavera (skeleton) art inspired by the legendary Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada. If you're looking for a quality, mid-grade, affordable tequila with a mild, crisp taste perfect for mixers, Espolòn Blanco is a great choice. 

Zumbador Blanco Tequila is a highly rated, artisanal, and wallet-friendly 100% blue Weber agave tequila. This additive-free, crystal-clear spirit has an herbal, floral, and cooked agave aroma, with sweet agave, citrusy, and peppery notes on the palate. Its vegetal, earthy, crisp flavor might not appeal to those who prefer a sweeter tequila, but it's well-reviewed for its traditional agave-forward taste. Suitable as a sipper and perfect for elevating mixers, it costs around $25 for a standard bottle.

Like most high-quality tequilas, Zumbador is produced in Jalisco, Mexico, due to the region's ideal climate and soil for growing blue Weber agave. Zumbador's agave has been grown by the Lopez family, with master tequilero Roberto Lopez Anaya, for four generations in the Jalisco highlands and is harvested traditionally by hand. The agave for the tequila blanco is cooked in brick ovens and distilled using copper and stainless-steel stills. 

Zumbador prides itself on remaining connected to its roots, from the land to community. Zumbador, which means hummingbird, was selected as a symbol for the tequila brand due to its cultural significance representing resurrection and human spirit. Beginner and practiced tequila drinkers enjoy the taste of this crisp, authentic tequila, in addition to the bottle art.

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Cimarron Blanco is another additive-free, 100% blue Weber agave tequila that costs around $25 to $30, depending on location. It has citrus, agave, and herbal notes on the nose and an agave-forward and peppery flavor profile. Its crisp, drier finish makes it best suited as a mixer for drinks like margaritas and palomas or as-is for tequila shots. 

Cimarron tequila is produced by master distiller Enrique Fonesca at La Tequileña Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. Fonesca, a fourth-generation agave grower, purchased the distillery from Bacardi in the 1980s. The highly regarded distillery produces a number of other tequila brands, including premium options like Don Fulano, Fuenteseca, and ArteNOM Selección de 1146. 

Many tequila drinkers on Reddit generally enjoy Cimarron. In one post discussing the budget-friendly tequila, one person stated, "Cimarron is an excellent blanco from NOM 1146, the same distiller that makes Don Fulano. The taste is nearly identical: olives, funk; delicious." Another shared, "Cimarron Blanco and [Reposado] are two of my favorites for margaritas. [I don't know] what it is, but I feel like they add a complexity to the flavor that stands out from others."

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Tres Agaves Organic Blanco Tequila is an unaged, 100% blue Weber agave tequila with zero additives. It is made using traditional production methods, and USDA organic, meaning the agave is grown without synthetic chemicals. The taste is described as smooth and crisp, with tasting notes of citrus and fresh agave, and aromatic notes of pear and citrus. This blanco can be purchased at most liquor stores for around $30. 

Tres Agaves is made in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico, near the inactive volcano, El Volcán de Tequila, which provides the nutrient-rich volcanic soil ideal for growing agave. It's produced by Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits, based in St. Helena, California, one of the largest family-owned wine suppliers in the U.S. In addition to tequila blanco, it produces rested and longer aged reposado and añejo tequilas, and a variety of margarita mix flavors.

In a Reddit review of Tres Agaves Blanco, people found it to be a solid budget tequila — not the best for sipping but better than average for mixers, and allegedly hangover-free. In comparison to Jose Cuervo, it's generally rated higher, with one Redditor stating, "Jose is terrible. I think most tequila drinkers would rate it at the bottom of the bottom. If you're new to tequila, Tres Agaves Blanco is actually a decent introduction. No additives ... and not as expensive as the Casamigos or Don Julios."

Pueblo Viejo Blanco is yet another affordable, 100% blue Weber agave tequila. This unaged spirit contains aroma notes of citrus and green apple, and tasting notes of cooked agave, black pepper spice, earth, and caramel. Enjoy it in your favorite classic tequila sunrise recipe or as a budget-conscious sipper. Pueblo Viejo is among the cheapest 100% agave blanco tequilas on the market, priced at around $15 for a 750-milliliter bottle. 

Pueblo Viejo tequila is made at the Casa San Matías distillery in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. With a history dating back to 1886, Casa San Matías is one of the oldest family-owned tequila distilleries in Mexico. During the tequila-making process, on-site spring water is mixed with the cooked agave juice, which is what gives this tequila its unique Pueblo Viejo flavor. Other expressions include reposado, añejo, and a 104-proof blanco tequila.

Many tequila drinkers on Agave Matchmaker find Pueblo Viejo Blanco to be a solid, super budget-friendly tequila for mixing, but not so great for sipping. One reviewer stated, "A little agave, a little fruit without tasting fake. It's not bad but it's not great. At the same time, I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a cocktail. I feel like that's the world it thrives in best."

Highly rated by tequila drinkers on Agave Matchmaker, Total Wine, and Reddit, Arette Blanco is a popular, budget-friendly, unaged 100% agave tequila. Its taste is described as very agave-forward, citrusy, floral, and slightly peppery, with a minerality or earthiness. Depending on location, a 700-milliliter bottle of Arette Blanco Clásico costs around $23 to $35. 

Arette Tequila is named after the legendary one-eyed horse, Arete, that, along with rider Humberto Mariles Cortés, was awarded Mexico's first Olympic gold medal at the London games in 1948. Each bottle features a sketch or image of the famous horse to represent Mexican heritage and achievement. Arette is crafted by one of the main founding families of tequila, the Orendain family. Established in the 1980s, the traditionally crafted tequila is made at one of the oldest distilleries in the Jalisco region, the El Llano Distillery, which was founded in 1900. The Orendain family remains one of the oldest independently owned tequila makers in the region, currently run by brothers Jaime and Eduardo Orendain. 

Arette has two lines of tequila, Clásico and Artesanal. The Clásico line features two expressions, blanco and reposado, while the Artesanal line consists of blanco, reposado, añejo, Fuerte 101, and Gran Clase Extra Añejo. The Artesanal expressions are made using the most traditional methods that include slow-cooking agaves in brick ovens for 48 hours.

Cazadores Blanco is an unaged, additive-free, 100% blue Weber agave tequila that contains citrus and herbal notes with a smooth, clean finish. This silver tequila is perfect for your favorite classic margarita cocktail recipe or works fine as a budget-sipper. It is widely available at many liquor and grocery stores, costing around $23 to $25 for a 750-milliliter bottle. 

The recipe for Cazadores was created in 1922 by Don José María Bañuelos. The makers use unique methods, including extracting raw agave juice using a 24-step diffusion process and playing Mozart to positively influence the fermentation process. Produced in the Jalisco highlands, the popular tequila was acquired from the Bañuelos family in 2002 by Bacardi Limited, makers of well-known premium spirits, including Bacardi rum, Grey Goose, and Patrón. 

Reviews are somewhat mixed for Cazadores Blanco, with high ratings from Total Wine and Target, but lower ratings on Agave Matchmaker and Reddit. One shopper on Total Wine stated, "Can't be beat at this price point. Clean agave with citrus and minerality. A real bargain." Meanwhile, one Redditor said, "OG Cazadores was amazing. Current Cazadores is hot garbage." Perhaps explaining this discrepancy, the Cazadores website states, "While it remains true to our recipe from 1922, today's production process has evolved to reflect the growing demand for Cazadores and the efforts we have made to ensure a completely sustainable operation."