9 Celebrity Tequilas Worth Trying
By Peyton Whittington Originally published April 2020, updated August 2022
We’ve all heard the clichés.
“Tequila makes me CRAZY.”
“Tequila gives me the worst hangovers EVER.”
“I didn’t text you, tequila did.”
Tequila gets a bad rap, but the truth is that it doesn’t affect anyone stronger than any other spirit. In fact, tequila is experiencing a renaissance thanks to some serious industry-wide rebranding. Top-shelf tequilas are on the rise and the appetite for agave is getting stronger, but why the sudden popularity?
As the world focuses on health and wellness, it’s hard to ignore that 100% pure agave tequila is low-calorie, low in sugar and has zero carbs.
Another reason to indulge in this spirit is its improved production methods. The elevation of quality has caught the attention of foodies and restauranteurs. In fact, some tequilas are now considered to be on par with fine wines, cognacs and Scotches. Tequila has outgrown its bad reputation and no longer needs to be washed down with sugary mixes. You can now hear the tasting profiles of premier tequilas being dissected as intensely as a Bordeaux blend.
The recent uptick in tequila sales is also thanks to celebrity endorsements and ownerships. While celebrity-owned or supported spirits are not a new trend, it seems there is a sudden surge of stars who have been taken by tequila. In an expanding and crowded category, how do you know which star-studded tequilas are worth trying?
Well, we’ve sipped our way to the answer. Here are the nine celebrity-owned tequilas worth trying.
Michael Jordan | Cincoro Tequila
Michael Jordan, Jeanie Buss, Wes Edens, Wyc Grousebeck and Emilia Fazzalari may be NBA rivals, but after a casual dinner discussing tequila, they departed as partners. Together, they launched Cincoro, an ultra-luxury tequila. The name Cincoro is created from two Spanish words, “cinco” meaning five and “oro” meaning gold to reflect the five owners and the gold standard in the tequila category.
Cincoro is made with the highest quality 100% Blue Weber Agave from the highlands and lowlands of Jalisco. The Cincoro bottle was designed by Mark Smith, who worked for Michael Jordon at Nike, designing many of the Air Jordan shoes. Mark took inspiration for the bottle design from the Blue Weber Agave leaf shape. It’s the first and only 5-sided bottle, representing the five founding partners. A 23-degree angle can also be found in the punt and the stopper as a nod to MJ’s number. Additionally, if you line up 23 bottles from top to bottom, they create a perfect circle the same size as center court.
Our favorite is Cincoro Reposado Tequila, which is aged for 8 to 10 months in Kentucky bourbon barrels. It maintains the smoothness of the blanco, while acquiring vanilla and baking spice aromas and tastes of sweet, cooked agave, caramel and white chocolate. This delicious spirit is best served sipped from a Champagne flute.
Kendall Jenner | 818 Tequila
Continuing the family tradition of entrepreneurship, model Kendall Jenner branched out into the world of spirits and launched 818 Tequila in the spring of 2021.
818 Tequila, named after the area code in California, where Kendall grew up, is made from agave grown on family farms in Jalisco, Mexico. Sustainability is at the core of 818; in fact, the sustainability page is the longest page on the brand’s website. Their distillery runs on biomass and solar power, reducing the producer’s carbon footprint and its reliance on fossil fuels. In addition, 818 is a 1% for the Planet initiative participant, meaning that they’ve pledged to donate 1% of their revenue to the cause of environmental stewardship. 818 has partnered with S.A.C.R.E.D. (Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education and Development), a not-for-profit that uses heritage agave spirits to improve quality of life in the rural Mexican communities where those spirits are made. The organization transform’s 818’s agave byproducts into adobe bricks that are used to build infrastructure, like schools and libraries, in surrounding communities. All these efforts are just a fraction of the sustainability practices outlined on 818’s website.
As for the actual tequilas, 818 produces the traditional three varieties: blanco, reposado and añejo. The blanco is rested in oak barrels for a fresh vanilla roundness and an ultra-smooth, bright and crispy finish, with notes of almond, key lime pie and toasted coconut. The reposado is also aged in oak barrels for two months but has a smooth caramel finish with notes of vanilla and pecan pie. Finally, the añejo is aged in oak barrels for one year and has a silky, rich and full-bodied finish with notes of vanilla and crisp herbs. Try sipping them on the rocks or in the Pride Tai.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson | Teremana Tequila
From wrestling deity to action-movie star, it appears everything Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson touches turns to gold, even liquid. The Rock recently launched Teremana Tequila with his business partner and ex-wife Dany Garcia.
“Tequila has been a part of our life and our family for many, many years, so this has been years in the making,” Johnson said while visiting the ABC home office in Orlando.
Teremana, meaning “spirit of the earth” is a 100% agave, small batch tequila that comes in blanco, reposado and añejo. The blanco has notes of bright citrus with a smooth, fresh finish, while the reposado has notes of oak and vanilla with a smooth, rich finish and the añejo has notes of rich warm oak and vanilla with a lightly sweet and complex finish.
Teremana clearly articulates how it is made and calls out its nutritional facts on the back label, something unique in the spirits business. For such an accessible price, this quality tequila is a must-try. It’s best served sipped or mixed in The People’s Margarita.
George Clooney & Rande Gerber | Casamigos Tequila
Why stop at drinking tequila with friends when you can make tequila with friends? That was the thought process behind Rande Gerber, George Clooney and Michael Meldman’s partnership in launching Casamigos Tequila in 2013. Although they sold Casamigos to Diageo in 2017 (for $1 billion, they still have active roles with the brand.
All of their small batch, ultra-premium tequilas are made from hand-selected 100% Blue Weber Agave grown in Mexico’s Jalisco Highlands for a minimum of seven years. Casamigos Blanco Tequila, rests for two months and is crisp and clean with subtle hints of citrus, vanilla and sweet agave with a smooth finish. Casamigos Reposado Tequila, aged seven months, is soft, slightly oaky with hints of caramel and cocoa and has a silky texture with a medium to long smooth finish. Casamigos Añejo Tequila, aged 14 months, has a beautifully pure and refined complex aroma with soft caramel and vanilla notes. In 2018, they launched Casamigos Mezcal, which is made in Oaxaca, Mexico with 100% Espadín Agave. The mezcal rests up to two months and is balanced and elegant with hints of tamarind and pomegranate aromas that are followed by herbal tones of fresh mint and dried oregano. Delicate notes of smoke and black pepper lead to a long, silky finish. It’s best served on the rocks, sans salt and lime.
Eva Longoria | Casa Del Sol Tequila
Co-founded by Tejano actress Eva Longoria, Casa Del Sol Tequila launched nationwide in early 2022. The brand’s logo depicts Mayahuel, the Aztec goddess of agave.
There are many different versions of the legend of Mayahuel, but Casa Del Sol’s website tells it this way: “In order to protect herself and her lover, the God of Wind, from her spiteful grandmother, Mayahuel created an agave with long green spires that could defend them. Enraged by their defiance, her grandmother wielded a bolt of lightning and burnt the agave to the ground. What was left amongst the ashes was a single green spire, at the base of which was a piña filled with the sweet nectar of agave, completing Mayahuel's transformation into the Goddess of Tequila.”
We’ll drink to that.
Casa Del Sol agave is grown and distilled in the Jalisco region of Mexico and aged in French Cognac barrels to soften and enhance the spirit. The blanco delivers hints of mint, spice and caramel green apple, while the reposado has notes of wild honey, raisin and butterscotch. Inspired by the magic of golden hour, Casa Del Sol is best sipped while soaking in the sun’s rays and poured in a Champagne flute. (Because, hey, we’re not in college anymore. It’s time to start appreciating tequila like a grown-up.)
The Chainsmokers | JAJA Tequila
Elliot Tebele (of the F*ckJerry digital channels), Maurice Tebele and Martin Hoffstein originally started JAJA Tequila because they felt there wasn’t a tequila on the market that spoke to them and their peers - something delicious, sustainably made and fun. After partnering with the Master Distiller at La Cofradia, JAJA Tequila was born. Soon after launch, they expanded their team to include the electronic DJ duo The Chainsmokers (Alex Pall and Drew Taggart) as co-owners of the brand.
They describe JAJA as a “modern tequila with traditional roots.” Their farms are in the highland and lowland regions of Jalisco and their distiller has been making tequila for over 50 years. For every case of JAJA Tequila sold, they donate a dollar to TIP (the Tequila Interchange Project), which preserves the bat population (the primary pollinators of agave plants) in Jalisco and ensures healthy working conditions for the jimadors, or agave harvesters. They also enforce fair pay and proper healthcare for the agave farmers. The brand is currently working to make their supply chain plastic- free.
The quality and taste of the tequila is just as important as their sustainability efforts. All of their tequilas are double distilled in copper pot stills and are a mix of the more floral highland and more herbal lowland agaves. JAJA Blanco Tequila offers subtle notes of black pepper and citrus fruit, while capturing the essence and sweetness of its only ingredient–pure agave azul. JAJA Reposado Tequila is aged for six months in ex-Scotch whisky casks, resulting in notes of vanilla, oak, honey and caramel. JAJA Añejo Tequila is aged for two years in American whiskey barrels and carries notes of almond, vanilla, oak and caramel.
Adam Levine & Behati Prinsloo | Calirosa Tequila
If there’s any couple who could make a spirit with class, style and just a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll, it’s Adam Levine of the chart-topping pop rock band Maroon 5 and his wife, model Behati Prinsloo.
The couple founded Calirosa Tequila in the summer of 2021 alongside the Real family of Tequila Selecto, who have been making tequila out of the Jalisco region since 1942. Unlike typical tequilas, which are usually aged in American oak whiskey barrels, Calirosa Tequila is aged in California red wine barrels, giving the juice a lovely pink hue. According to the Calirosa website, this spirit is “the unexpected fusion of Mexican craft and California cool, passion and promise, party and soul.”
Calirosa offers three different tequila varieties: blanco, añejo and extra añejo, which is aged for a whopping three years. The blanco kisses the barrel for 30 days, drawing aromas of strawberry, raspberry and honey with an agave forward, fruity taste profile. The añejo, aged 18 months, delivers vanilla, nutmeg, caramel and chocolate on the nose and a well-rounded toffee and cinnamon flavor. The extra añejo mirrors the regular añejo, but with the added complexity of butterscotch, honeycomb and leather tasting notes.
We don’t have a crystal ball, but we have a feeling pink rosa tequila is about to be on every cool host’s bar shelf. You heard it here first.
Nick Jonas & John Vervators | Villa One Tequila
Let’s face it, we’re a sucker for everything the Jonas Brothers do, and spirits are no exception.
Nick Jonas launched Villa One Tequila in collaboration with menswear designer John Varvatos back in 2019. Their tequila is, of course, made in Jalisco, but their agaves are sourced from both the highlands and the lowlands for a more well-rounded flavor profile. Each sip carries notes of earthy, herbaceous lowland agave and the fruity sweetness of highland agave. This is especially apparent in the silver tequila, a blanco with a continuous bouquet of dried fruit and nuts that meanders into a caramelized agave and has a long, smooth finish.
We’re starting to think there’s something to the brand’s easy-living slogan, “Life as it should be.”
Nick has been very open about his life with Type 1 diabetes, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 13. It’s especially fitting that he would break into the spirits game, considering the fact that tequila has zero carbs. Cheers to sips that give our boy Nicky’s insulin pump a break!
Mark Wahlberg | Flecha Azul Tequila
When PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aron Marquez first approached actor Mark Wahlberg about investing in their line of tequila, Mark said his first reaction was, “Absolutely not.”
First impressions clearly aren’t everything, because Mark signed on as Flecha Azul Tequila’s principal investor just one year later.
Mark was taken with Ancer and Marquez’s dream to build a label honoring their Mexican heritage while producing a quality product that everyone can enjoy, inspiring him to throw his full support behind the brand.
Flecha Azul carries the traditional blanco, reposado and añejo varieties, plus two bonus ones: a cristalino and an extra añejo. The cristalino is a triple-filtered añejo that carries all the warmth of the traditional añejo but is still light on the palate, balancing notes of vanilla and dark chocolate with a long, luxurious finish. The powerful extra añejo floods the senses with notes of praline, roasted pineapple and vanilla. On the palate, its weight is tempered with wood tannins for a balanced and complex finish.
Mark says he’s fully aware of the saturation of celebrities entering the tequila game these days, but he isn’t worried. He knows Flecha Azul is #1.
We’ll leave that decision to the drinkers!
Now that you know all about celebrity tequilas, watch our team do a blind tequila taste test and try to guess which star makes each spirit below.
More notable celebrity-affiliated or owned wines & spirits
Thomas Rhett
Kevin Hart
Jamie Foxx
Snoop Dogg
Charles Woodson
Aaron Paul and
Bryan Cranston
Ian Somerhalder
and Paul Wesley
Ryan Reynolds
Kate Hudson
Nick Offerman
Florida Georgia Line
Cameron Diaz
David Beckham
George Strait
Matthew McConaughey
Lebron James
Sam Heughan
Steven Soderbergh
Charles Woodson
Bob Dylan
Conor McGregor
Kenny Chesney
Jon Bon Jovi
Metallica
Dan Aykroyd
Brad Pitt
Sean “Diddy” Combs
Jason Aldean
Jay-Z
Francis Ford Coppola
Bethenny Frankel
Zac Brown
Dave Matthews
Post Malone
