Extra anejo is tequila at its longest-aged: by law it rests at least three years in oak, and the best bottles — the ones built for a snifter, not a shot glass — go further, into French oak, Bordeaux barrels and Tennessee whiskey casks. Del Mesa Liquor, a family-owned store in San Diego, California, stocks the category's benchmarks in depth, from Herradura's 49-month Seleccion Suprema to a Cincoro extra anejo blended from highland and lowland agave. Every bottle below is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
The extra anejo benchmarks
- Herradura Seleccion Suprema Extra Anejo Tequila — $329.99 (8 in stock). The original luxury tequila: 100% estate-grown blue Weber agave from Amatitan, cooked in brick ovens, fermented with wild yeasts, double-distilled and aged 49 months in American white oak — a full year beyond the extra anejo minimum — at 40% ABV. Our deepest stock in this class.
- Tres, Cuatro, Y Cinco (3-4-5) Extra Anejo Tequila — $349.99 (2 in stock). Master blender Enrique Fonseca's arithmetic: 30% three-year-old, 40% four-year-old and 30% five-year-old extra anejo, aged exclusively in French oak, presented in a limited-edition crystal decanter designed, signed and numbered by artist Alonso Gonzalez Jr.
- Gran Patron Burdeos Tequila — $499.99 (2 in stock). Patron's luxury anejo, finished in vintage Bordeaux wine barrels after a third distillation, made from highland Los Altos agave. It arrives in a hand-polished, hand-numbered crystal decanter with the crystal Patron bee stopper, in a velvet-lined black-walnut box, at 40% ABV.
- Cincoro Extra Anejo Tequila — $1,449.99 (3 in stock). The longest-aged Cincoro: highland and lowland Jalisco agave cooked and distilled separately, then blended and aged 40-44 months in Tennessee whiskey barrels, at 40% ABV. From the house founded by five NBA team owners, including Michael Jordan.
The cristalino counterpoint
Cristalino is the other way to drink long-aged tequila: anejo or extra anejo charcoal-filtered back to crystal clarity, so the oak depth arrives without the color. Two very different takes are on the shelf:
- Antigua Cruz Anejo Cristalino Tequila — $64.99 (2 in stock). Aged a reported 36+ months at NOM 1460 in Arandas, Jalisco, then filtered to crystal clarity — oak and caramel depth with a blanco's clean presentation, from 100% blue agave, triple-distilled.
- Volcan De Mi Tierra Anejo Cristalino Tequila — $79.99 (2 in stock). A blend of anejo aged in ex-whiskey casks and extra anejo aged in ex-Cognac barrels, charcoal-filtered clear, at 40% ABV. The Moet Hennessy and Gallardo family joint venture, from Huaxtla, Jalisco.
Frequently asked questions
What is extra anejo tequila?
Extra anejo is tequila aged at least three years in oak — the longest official age class. The bottles above go beyond the minimum: Herradura's Seleccion Suprema rests 49 months, and Cincoro's extra anejo 40-44 months in Tennessee whiskey barrels.
How should you drink extra anejo?
Neat, in a snifter or stemmed glass, at room temperature — the same way you would pour a fine cognac or bourbon. Ice and mixers bury what three to five years of oak built.
What is cristalino tequila?
Cristalino starts as aged anejo or extra anejo and is charcoal-filtered to remove the color the barrel gave it. The flavor stays aged — oak, caramel, dried fruit — while the spirit pours crystal clear, as in the Volcan de mi Tierra and Antigua Cruz bottles above.
Where can I buy extra anejo tequila in San Diego?
At Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, California, in store or online — the full range is on our tequila collection page, and delivery questions are covered in our FAQs.
For the traditional end of the agave shelf, read our Fortaleza tequila guide; for smoke, browse the mezcal collection. The extra anejos above also live in the Rare & Top Shelf collection, and new arrivals land on the Del Mesa blog first.