Sip Fest 2026 brought together some of the best tequila, mezcal, and agave spirit brands for a day of tasting, voting, and celebrating the craft. Guests sampled their way through dozens of brands and voted for their favorites across nine categories.
Here are your official Sip Fest 2026 winners.
Best Blanco: Cambio Blanco Tequila
Founded by CIA-trained chef and sommelier John des Rosier, Cambio ferments at low temperatures with wine yeasts in American white oak and Mexican pine-lined tanks, then briefly rests in used French oak wine barrels. Bottled at 92 proof. VinePair named it one of the top 50 new spirits of 2023.
Best Reposado: Yeyo Rosa High Proof Reposado
A limited release from the Vivanco family's estate in Arandas, Jalisco. Aged in a blend of Syrah, Sherry, and Port casks from France, Spain, and Portugal. Fermented to classical music, double-distilled in copper pot stills, bottled at 86 proof. The first Reposado Rosa ever released from NOM 1414.
Best Añejo: Insolito Anejo
Insolito translates to "unusual" in Spanish, and the brand lives up to it. A smooth, layered añejo with a profile that keeps revealing new things with every sip.
Best Extra Añejo: Compoveda Extra Anejo
Aged in French and American oak red wine barrels from Napa Valley. Notes of vanilla, jammy red fruit, and toasted oak. A go-to recommendation for whiskey drinkers exploring tequila.
Best Mezcal: Bozal Cempasuchil
Cempasuchil is the marigold flower used in Día de los Muertos celebrations. Bozal produces single-village mezcals from Guerrero and Oaxaca, each with its own distinct terroir. Floral, earthy, and complex.
Best Agave Spirit: La Capilla Reposado
Named after the legendary La Capilla bar in Tequila, Jalisco, where the Batanga cocktail was born over 60 years ago. Smooth, balanced, and carries the spirit of one of Mexico's most iconic watering holes.
Best Cocktail: Alma del Jaguar
Alma del Jaguar means "soul of the jaguar." Produced at the Vivanco family distillery in Arandas, the brand is known for its artisanal approach and bold, agave-forward profiles. Their cocktail at the fest was a crowd favorite.
Best Booth Setup: El Gran Legado
El Gran Legado translates to "the great legacy." A family-owned brand rooted in multi-generational tequila production in Jalisco. Their booth matched the care they put into their bottles.
Best Overall Brand: 1953 Tequila
Named for the year the Vivanco family planted their first agave field. From the lineup to the way they showed up, 1953 made the strongest overall impression at Sip Fest 2026.
Every brand that poured at Sip Fest 2026 brought something worth talking about. Want to try the winners for yourself?
