Tequila Ocho Plata Review

Tequila Ocho Plata is the gold standard for silver tequila and one of the purest expressions of agave spirits you’re likely to find. An aromatic, peppery, and uniquely floral profile means it’s best appreciated sipped neat or over large ice cubes, though it also shines in a well-made Tommy’s Margarita or Paloma. This offering is well-worth its high price point.

Tasting Notes

Color: Clear

Nose: Cooked agave; tropical fruits like pear, banana, mango, pineapple skin, and lime; aromatics like cilantro and green peppercorns

Palate: Bright, floral, and acidic with mild salinity; notes of lavender, chamomile, jalapeños, white peach, honeysuckle, and rose petals

Finish: Long and peppery with strong notes of agave 

Suggested uses: Neat or on the rocks, citrus-forward cocktails like Palomas and Margaritas

Similar bottles: G4, Fortaleza, El Tesoro, Siete Leguas

Our Review

Tequila Ocho Plata may be a silver tequila, but this single-field, estate-grown bottling is the gold standard of the category, according to our reviewers. 

As the producer’s flagship unaged expression, Tequila Ocho Plata is particularly prized as a sipper, and it was one of the bottles most recommended by experts for our list of essential tequila bottles. Our tasting panel agrees: Tequila Ocho Plata is one of the best blanco tequilas you’re likely to find. “It’s simply a good tequila,” says Julie Reiner. 

Each vintage will taste slightly different because the agave used is grown in a new field, though our reviewers say that on the whole it’s agave-forward and aromatic, with notes of tropical fruit, herbs and flowers, and a long, peppery finish. “An incredible, unique flavor and an unparalleled mouthfeel make it stand out from the rest of the market,” says Reiner.

All of our reviewers suggest serving Tequila Ocho Plata neat or poured over large ice cubes.

“The floral quality is unique to any tequila I’ve spent time with, and is worthy of appreciation on its own without the presence of other ingredients,” says Jeffrey Morgenthaler. However, Jacques Bezuidenhout and Reiner say it will make a fine addition to a well-crafted Tommy’s Margarita, too. “When you start with a quality base like this it will deliver in a freshly made cocktail,” says Bezuidenhout. 

“It really shines in a Tequila Gimlet also,” adds Reiner. 

If this beloved tequila has one downside, it may be the price tag, but our experts agree it’s well-worth the money. “If you’re looking to spend $50+ on a bottle of unaged tequila, I couldn’t recommend this one more highly,” says Morgenthaler. “For those who know and love exquisite tequila, this will seem like a great value.” 

As Bezuidenhout puts it: “Go out and buy this tequila. Enjoy it. Not many tequilas taste like this anymore.” 

Production

Tequila Ocho employs many traditional practices that are often omitted in the production of modern tequila. The agave takes seven to 10 years to mature, after which the piñas, or hearts, are cooked in brick ovens for 48 hours and left to cool for another 24 hours. The hearts are then milled to extract their juices, which are mixed with mineral-rich water from a natural spring located at the distillery. This sugar-rich agave wort, called mosto, undergoes fermentation in wooden vats with airborne yeast for four to five days. The resulting liquid is double-distilled, first in a stainless steel pot still and then in a copper pot still. 

History

The story of Tequila Ocho begins in 1937, when the Camarena family began distilling tequila. In 2007, third-generation tequilero Carlos Camarena teamed up with the late tequila ambassador Tomas Estes to launch Ocho, named for the eighth sample Estes produced for the Camarenas. (The name is also a nod to the eight years it typically takes for blue agave, also called Weber Azul or agave tequilana, to mature.)

Camarena and Estes set out to prove that tequila, like wine, could express the terroir of the land on which its agave is grown. As such, the Camarena family harvests and distills agave from only one field at a time. Until 2021, Ocho was distilled at Camarena-owned La Alteña Distillery, the same distillery that produces El Tesoro and Tapatio. It’s now made at Tequilera Los Alambiques in Arandas, Jalisco. 

—Compiled and edited by Audrey Morgan