When it comes to celebrity alcohol, sometimes you can get a little apprehensive about the quality, in terms of its taste, aroma and of course, value for money. 818 tequila is endorsed by Kendall Jenner and as a result, it has become very well known – but does that mean it is any good?

Luckily, we’ve written this extensive review which answers all of the questions you need to know. We’ve tried and tested this tequila and we’ll tell you about the taste, aroma, appearance and overall profile of 818 tequila (see also ‘What Does Tequila Taste Like?’).

So, if you’re ready to learn much more about this tequila – then read on with us! 

What Is 818 Tequila?

818 tequila is aptly named. Coming from the Los Valles region of Tequila and benefiting from highly skilled farmers who source the best agave, it is one of the most authentic tasting and high quality tequilas on the market. 

The name 818 refers to the area code of Kendall Jenner – who founded this brand of tequila. She says that one of 818’s goals is to give people great nights of socializing with this tequila, much like they have in the past.

What we notice from the 818 story is the unique way that it is made. They wait for the optimal time to harvest and then only find the best agave to do so, within the famous region of Tequila. 

This usually requires a 7 year wait for the agave to reach their peak of maturity, allowing for a much better taste, texture and aroma during extraction. 

Once they’ve sourced the best agave, they then use large stone tahonas for juice extraction after cooking their agaves which takes up to around 40 hours to complete. This is a way of extracting juice that has been done for centuries, especially in this region. 

We loved hearing this. Whilst a lot of 818 tequila is unique, this is a modern take on the traditional extraction method, and shows how much care and attention they have put into making this tequila.

They then use alembic pots to distill the juice, which is completed twice and takes around 70 hours. This is to get the best aromas and flavors as they possibly can. Finally, for two of the tequila products, they are then aged in oak barrels. 

Is 818 Tequila Any Good?

Okay, so before we give you our take on this tequila, we need to explain that there are a few types of 818 tequila. There is blanco, reposado, anejo and the company also produces a new tequila known as eight reserve. However, we are focusing on the former 3. 

818 tequila has received 31 tasting awards and 11 international spirit competition awards. So, even if we look at this objectively – we can certainly say that this tequila is indeed good and has proved itself around the world. 

But what did we think of it? 

Our Take On 818 Tequila 

Let’s now give you our take on this unique tequila. We’ll go through each of these tequilas individually, starting with blanco.

Blanco

Blanco right away from the appearance gives you a sense of what you’re in for. The bottle is very modernly designed with the label that has large, bold and black text. The text itself appears modern but the cork cap brings us back to traditional tequila.

This goes back to what we said about 818’s method of making this tequila. One of the greatest things they do is bring these two concepts together and it works extremely well. 

The spirit’s appearance is incredibly clear, very much like water – but as soon as you begin to smell the tequila, that illusion is broken straight away. Indeed, the first scent you get is of cream soda with some hints of vanilla and agave.

When it comes to your palate though, you taste a very strong, creamy taste with vanilla and a very light peppery aftertaste. Indeed, this initial creamy taste fits in well with the overall texture of the tequila, which is creamy and incredibly smooth. 

Whilst this tequila was nice and refreshing, it was far more refreshing that there were no hints of artificial sweeteners, which many celebrity endorsed alcohols have.

The one thing we must note here though is that unlike some other blanco tequilas, there is a much more powerful taste and aroma of vanilla than you’d expect. Whilst this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can overpower the drinking experience at times. 

Reposado 

One of the biggest differences between reposado and blanco is the aging process. Blanco does not undergo this stage in its creation, but reposado (and indeed anejo) are aged in oak barrels. 

Reposado is what we would call the “middle ground” tequila. This is because it is not aged as long as anejo and of course it is aged more than blanco. This middle ground status becomes much clearer later too, in terms of its taste, aroma and appearance. 

The bottle design has not changed, but you are straight away struck by the difference in color. It is darker than blanco and this is likely due to the aging process in barrels we just spoke about. 

Upon the aroma test, you are immediately taken back by the sweetness. You get hints of vanilla and caramel, but you sense a much stronger honey scent – which seems to actually overpower the alcohol aroma.

This moves into the tasting too. It’s an incredibly sweet tequila that has a sugary texture and is highly reminiscent of a dessert dish at a restaurant. Due to the vanilla taste and honey aromas, there is no “burn” response when you’re drinking this.

As a result, this is a very good tequila for people who want to drink it neat – or indeed, those who are first timers to tequila. While blanco is a great tequila to use in a mixer due to its very powerful vanilla flavor, reposado does not need anything to dilute its taste.

Anejo 

Anejo is the third installment in this tequila’s family. It is certainly the darkest out of the three in terms of its appearance, and this is likely due to the length of time that it has been aged. Unlike reposado which is aged for around 2 months, anejo is aged for about one year.

The tequila naturally absorbs everything around the barrel, and this affects its color – so it’s no surprise this one is darker, especially as the barrels are oak previously used for American whiskey. 

Upon smelling the tequila, the first note we got was butter. This was intriguing as the appearance can make you think it is going to be very smoky – but if anything, the aroma is the total opposite of this. 

The nose is much more than this though, as you continue to notice other sweet scents and a very light oak, which continues through to the taste test. 

We noticed the taste was varied. It seemed to bounce from caramel, honey and then finished with a cinnamon style of spice – something which you might experience from a seasonal brandy. 

This is certainly sweeter than the other two tequilas, and as a result – you would not need to mix this tequila with any other drink. This is definitely a tequila that you would be better off drinking either neat or over the rocks. 

The taste does linger much longer than the other two editions though. In many ways, this was a good thing – but it can become a little laborious at times, especially if you’re trying other tequilas at a testing or it is accompanied with food. 

What Is The Best 818 Tequila?

It depends how you enjoy your tequila. As we said earlier, we found the reposado to be the ideal middle ground in terms of its aroma, taste and even its appearance. This means you could drink it with a mixer or drink it neat.

However, if you are going to use a mixer – you’d be better off using blanco so you do not overpower (or even underpower) the taste and experience of the tequila and mixers together. 

What Is Eight Reserve?

Eight Reserve is a tequila created by 818 and it comes in a glorious “8” shaped bottle. It is made by creating a blend of different anejo tequilas and aged for eight years. Due to its premium status, it is a tequila that deserves a review alone.

Therefore, we focused on the previous three editions of 818 tequila. 

Final Thoughts 

818 tequila is a fantastic tequila, with each of its editions having their own unique tastes, aromas, textures and general experience. If you are a fan of tequila and you’re wondering if it’s worth buying and trying this tequila – it’s certainly recommended.

We hope this review has been useful to you and you find your perfect tequila!