Don Nacho Tributo Reposado earns top marks at the annual spirits competition.
Photo illustration: Brad Japhe
The 7th annual edition of the Bartender Spirits Awards took place this May in Chicago. As its name suggests, this is a competition helmed by some of the most trusted tastemakers in the trade: the ones crafting the drinks we love. These talented sorts tend to be primary trendsetters and so there’s great predictive value in what their palates deem as delightful.
There’s also literal value to what these esteemed judges select each year. It’s one of the only competitions where price is a metric weighted into overall scoring–a number assigned on a scale of 1-100. According to its website, “the aim of the spirits competition is to provide independent and honest reviews for brands targeting the US bar trade.” But really its evaluations are equally as important to general consumers. Take a look at the top-scoring tequila this year, as proof positive of the notion.
Earning an astounding 97 points, the winner for 2025 was Don Nacho Tributo Reposado. It’s a sturdy liquid crafted in the Highlands of Jalisco, one which you can regularly spot on American shelves at just under $50 a bottle. And yet it’s hardly a household name–even amongst tequila connoisseurs.
Sleep on it at your own peril, because this is a juice that’s brimming with all manner of unexpected tropical fruit. In the nose is pineapple and sun-ripened mango. These tones part ways upon the palate to reveal a structured, maple syrup-like sweetness, before evolving into nutmeg, allspice, and a pinch of anis in a gentle finish.
Aged between two and 12 months (as is definitionally required of reposado tequila), you can tell that the master blender crafted with purpose; determined to allow the agave distillate to assume supremacy above the American white oak barrels in which it rested.
The judges at the Bartender Spirits Awards would agree with the inference. They had this to say when naming it the star of the show: “Earthy agave and oak give way to a well-balanced palate of vegetal and spice notes with a soft, dry finish.” All of these characteristics position the 80-proof “repo” as a superior sipping spirit. But it’s also an ideal anchor in a Tommy’s Margarita.
Fermented using nothing more than fully-matured agave, deep well water, and native yeast, it’s then fashioned into spirit by way of a double distillation in stainless steel pots. The entire process takes place at its own dedicated facility, Fabrica de Tequila Don Nacho in the southern part of the Highlands (Los Altos). While that might not seem out of the ordinary, it’s actually somewhat rare in tequila these days. Many of the most popular examples on shelves are assembled in distilleries that crank out juice for multiple brands.
Don Nacho stands apart–in the eyes of our aforementioned bartending judges–as well as on the shelf. The brand recently revamped its packaging, opting for a tall and slender bottle; an elegant offering inside and out, which more than justifies its current asking price.
Follow along for more trusted recommendations from the 2025 Bartending Spirits Awards in the days ahead…
MEXICO – APRIL 23: Man wearing a hat in an agave plantation, Guadalajara, Mexico. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)
De Agostini via Getty Images
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradjaphe/2025/08/24/the-worlds-best-tequila-according-to-the-2025-bartender-spirits-awards/
