80 proof

I freely admit that an imposing matte-black bottle, a shiny lion, and the words “luxury tequila” normally sends a shiver down my spine. There is an awful lot of awful tequila out there asking you to admire the decanter before you notice what is—or isn’t—inside it. León Y Sol is much better than that!

The brand was founded by the Marhamat family, and the lion-and-sun imagery is not some vaguely Mexican piece of luxury-brand theater. It comes from the family’s Persian heritage: León y Sol means “lion and sun,” a symbol with deep roots in Persian history and identity. Founder and CEO Bobby Marhamat, a first-generation Persian-American, has been proudly vocal about building the brand around both his own family history and the Mexican family actually making the tequila. León Y Sol is produced at Casa Tequilera de Arandas, NOM 1499, in Los Altos de Jalisco under third-generation maestro tequilero Jose Aceves (you may know the NOM or name if you enjoy Mijenta tequila).

The unaged—and, yes, additive-free—blanco is indeed delicious tequila with a cool and clean profile of citrus, pear, herbs, floral notes, and cracked pepper, not vanilla frosting masquerading as sophistication.