Don Julio is one of the tequilas people ask for most in our Doraville store, and for good reason. It is 100% agave and smooth. But if Don Julio is the only tequila you buy, there are bottles at the same price or less that are worth a try.
The family connection
Lalo is made by Eduardo "Lalo" Gonzalez, a grandson of Don Julio Gonzalez himself. It is a blanco only, made with three ingredients: agave, water and yeast. If you like Don Julio Blanco, this is the first bottle to try.
The other big names
- Herradura Reposado. Herradura is known as the first brand to sell a reposado, back in 1974. It spends longer in oak than most reposados, so it has more wood and spice.
- Casamigos Reposado. Softer and sweeter. Casamigos and Don Julio are now owned by the same company, Diageo.
- Tres Generaciones Reposado. A reposado with a clean agave taste and a long history.
- Patron Reposado. The other name everyone knows, lighter and more citrus than Don Julio.
From another place
- Corralejo Reposado comes from Guanajuato, not Jalisco, in the tall blue bottle. It is lighter and fruitier, and it often costs less than Don Julio.
- Ocho Plata names the single field its agave came from on every batch, the way a winemaker names a vineyard. Two batches can taste a little different, which is the point.
Blanco, reposado or anejo?
Don Julio makes all three, and so do most of these brands. Blanco is unaged, reposado rests at least two months in oak, and anejo at least a year. Our guide to blanco, reposado and anejo explains the differences. For more good bottles at a lower price, see good tequila under $40.
What we would buy
If you drink Don Julio Blanco, try Lalo. If you drink Don Julio Reposado, try Herradura Reposado for more oak or Corralejo for something lighter.
On our shelf right now
Online prices, read from our own inventory when this page was built.