This Tequila Makes History With First-Ever 100-Point Score From Industry Authority
In its 46-year history, the influential Wine Enthusiast magazine has never awarded a perfect 100 score to a spirit.
Until now.
Cazcanes, the pride of Amatitán, Jalisco, and founded in 2018, earned a perfect 100 points in the publication's May issue with its small batch of Nuestras Raíces (or, Our Roots).
Each year, Wine Enthusiast tastes more than 25,000 products, and Cazcanes, the fastest-growing independent, additive-free tequila in the U.S., earned the honor.
Nuestras Raíces is Cazcanes' tribute "to the deep-rooted traditions of agave distillation, crafted by Humberto Alvarado, a third-generation distiller in the heart of Jalisco. Using a centuries-old family recipe, Humberto preserves the true essence of agave, honoring time-honored methods that celebrate purity and craftsmanship."
Dubbed "Jugo de la Selva" (or "Jungle Juice"), Nuestras Raíces is billed as a "vibrant, vegetal, and intensely agave-forward" spirit that captures "the untamed character of agave in its purest taste.
Where Can You Buy Nuestras Raíces?
The problem with a small-batch production is that they're incredibly challenging to buy. Nuestras Raíces, retailing for about $110, was released in 2025. It sold out in less than seven hours.
Cazcanes says that, due to its small-batch production, Nuestras Raíces is released annually in limited quantities, and that a limited number of bottles were allocated to select distributors and may still be found on shelves for those willing to seek them out.
What the 100-Score Means
Cazcanes co-founder Jose Santillan is, for obvious reasons, letting out a huge grito right now following the achievement.
"Wine Enthusiast has never before awarded a perfect 100-point score to a spirit of any kind," said Cazcanes Co-Founder Jose Santillan. "The fact that the first perfect score was awarded to an agave distillate — and one made in a remote jungle distillery by a third-generation distiller using handmade equipment — says everything about what this score represents. The score belongs to the method, and that's not going anywhere."
The honor comes not long after Men’s Journal named Cazcanes the best craft tequila brand of 2026 in our recent spirits awards. On the heels of that achievement, Cazcanes introduced a rosa añejo tequila aged in wine barrels.