Top spirits 2025: Our favorite liquors this year, biggest surprises, and more!
Hi friends! 2025 is officially coming to a close – can you believe it? Once again, it’s time to reflect back on our spirits journey over the past year, and reveal our top spirits of 2025.
With my brother Josh still on hiatus, we tried a smaller number of bottles this year, so there weren’t quite as many to compare when creating this list. However, there were still several standouts, as well as a few surprises. Let’s take a look!
Our Top Tequila Choice 2025
Tequila Ocho Plata
In 2025, we surprisingly didn’t end up giving 5 stars to any tequila bottles. However, Tequila Ocho Plata got a well-deserved 4 stars, and ended up becoming my go-to mixing tequila this past spring and early summer.
This blanco tequila is smooth, and has a clean, neutral flavor that excels in cocktails. I enjoyed every last drop!
Our Top Gin Choice 2025
Edinburgh Classic Gin
Edinburgh Classic Gin was a clear winner this year for favorite gin. It is well-crafted, delicious, and balances well inside of a cocktail. It’s a dry gin, but it doesn’t taste so dry that it would be intimidating for folks who are new to the category. You really can’t go wrong with a bottle of this stuff.!
Our Top Liqueur Choice 2025
John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum
Out of all the liqueurs we tried this year, there were only two that impressed us enough the earn 5 stars. In the end, John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum wins out due to how incredibly affordable it is for the quality!
This liqueur is sweet and tasty, with notes of lime and various warm spices. It’s great for classic tiki cocktails, as well for as experimenting with new recipes. I love it!
Our favorite cocktail in 2025
Army & Navy
The Army & Navy is a classic cocktail that I only recently had the pleasure of trying out for myself – and boy, is it tasty! This drink is a variation of a gin sour, with orgeat substituted for the simple syrup, a swap which makes a huge difference in flavor. It is simply delightful!
Our biggest surprise this year
Stoli Chamoy Vodka
This year, the choice for biggest surprise was easy – Stoli Chamoy Vodka. As I mentioned in my original review, I had picked this bottle off the shelf mostly for a good laugh. I expected it to be a disgusting, try-it-as-a-joke type of spirit. However, I found it to be a good-tasting and reasonably smooth budget spirit. In fact, in the past few months since reviewing it, I actually reach for it quite often when I want a quick vodka soda with a little kick of flavor. I really like it a lot!
Our biggest disappointment this year
Gran Malo Tamarindo
Although there were plenty of bottles that we gave 1 or 2 stars this year, for the most part, these low ratings were in line with our expectations after researching the products. The most glaring exception to this was Gran Malo Tamarindo, a spicy tamarind liqueur that is quite popular in Mexico, but new to the U.S. market. To be clear, as a Mexican-American myself, I am no stranger to tamarind flavor. However, this U.S. version of Gran Malo simply tastes like it was made with poor quality alcohol and flavorings, and I did not enjoy a single moment of having it in my mouth. I was very disappointed in this bottle.
Our favorite bottle design in 2025
Maior Gin
I must say, 2025 was one year that it seems we weren’t thinking about bottle design very much, because looking back, most of the bottles we tried were pretty boring on the outside. However, the bottle design for Maior Gin really stands out, due to the white background that alludes to mediterranean tile against the vibrant blue label. It’s simple yet striking, and definitely stands out on the shelf.
This year's company shout-out
Caledonia Spirits
I must admit, there were very few companies that impressed us this year with their environmental policies, labor policies, or anything of the sort. For whatever reason, 2025 was a year filled with spirits made by companies who don’t really wear their ethics on their sleeve (if they have any).
Of course, there were a few exceptions, and this year our shout out goes to Caledonia Spirits – the vermont-based company that produces Barr Hill Gin, among other things. Not only are their operations distiller-owned, but they have also designed their entire distillery with a focus on conservation, and are carbon neutral in their electrical energy. They also send 100% of their stillage to the Montpelier biodigester, which turns it into renewable energy. The list of conservation measures they take goes on and on, and is quite impressive. This is the type of company we love to support here at Let’s Drink It!
Well, there you have it! These were our favorite bottles that we reviewed in 2025. What spirits did you enjoy the most this year? What do you want to see us review in 2026? Let us know in the comments below!
As always, drink responsibly.
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