Starting in October, the Añejo expression of Tequila el Jimador, the #1 selling tequila in Mexico, will be available here in a new package that aligns its look with its Blanco and Reposado offerings. The new Añejo package will initially be available in California and Texas, and will roll out to the remainder of the U.S. by year's end. The new look features the same classic tall, angular bottle as the other expressions (above) and identical iconography of the Jimador on the label to pay tribute to the proud men that harvest the agave plants used to make the 12-month aged 100% agave tequila. Tequila el Jimador is produced by Casa Herradura, which was named "2007 Best Distiller of the Year" by Wine Enthusiast magazine. Since 2000, Tequila el Jimador has received numerous accolades from industry insiders, including the Adams Beverage Media Growth Brand Award in the Fast Track Category for 2005 and 2006.

This fall Jose Cuervo will release a limited edition 250 Aniversario Tequila retailing for $2,250. The special bottling commemorates the historic birth of tequila production and the establishment of 10 generations of Cuervo family tradition: on November 2, 1758 King Carlos of Spain granted Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo the first plot of land on which to cultivate agave. In anticipation of the 250th anniversary, expert Jose Cuervo jimadores planted blue agave on the same land granted in 1758 and used these estate-grown plants exclusively in the production of Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario. This precision was utilized to ensure every decanter maintains a direct link to this historic event and pays tribute to the centuries of labor and family passion that led to the creation of an industry.

Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario is a 100 percent blue agave Extra Añejo Tequila blended from the most select tequilas in the family's reserve and aged in a unique double-cask method. The best of these Extra Añejos, aged in toasted new American Oak barrels for a minimum of three years, were selected by the master distiller and blended together to achieve a superior tequila. The distinctive blend was then finished for 10 months in Sherry casks originating from Spain. The decanter was inspired by the original glass bottle first used by Jose Cuervo to ship Tequila to towns throughout Mexico. Each comes packaged in elegant oak gift box and will have its sequential number etched into the glass, certifying the product's rarity and authenticity.

So I will be toasting tonight with Casa Noble tequila, which just received USDA organic certification. It still doesn't quite qualify as health food, but Casa Noble's triple-distilled tequilas are made from the organically-grown slow roasted hearts of blue agave cactus, fermented without additives, and aged in French White Oak barrels. The Añejo rests two years in the barrels and it's smooth, woody and just a touch fruity. It retails for $59.95, and the beautifully designed purple decanter is an added bonus. In a nod to fine whiskey, Casa Noble also has started to offer a limited edition single barrel line. For this version, the Añejo rests for five years, and costs $129.95.

Note: Post corrected, see comments.

Tequila Ocho, which just arrived here from Arandas in Jalisco, Mexico, bills itself as "the first ultra premium single estate tequila to be introduced into the U.S. market in vintages." Rather than the usual method of blending crops, the agave plants from which Ocho is made are sourced from single estates, i.e. individual plots of land with their own microclimates.

Because of the time it takes the agave to mature, each estate's fields cannot be replenished for almost ten years after a harvest, making each one unique and, according to Ocho, highly collectible. The agave is slowed cooked in stone ovens and undergoes open-air fermentation in wooden casks. Each bottle is numbered by hand and stamped with the estate name of each vintage. Ocho is available in Plata, Reposado, and Anejo (above) bottlings.

Siembra Azul, the small-batch, boutique tequila brand, is unveiling its highly anticipated aged Anejo.

This first batch of Siembra's Anejo has been aged for 18 months in barrels of virgin "medium toast" American white oak to give it richness and character.

Each subsequent bottling will vary in its maturing period depending on weather conditions impacting the quality of the year's agave crop.

Siembra Azul literally means "Blue Harvest." The super-premium spirit is double-distilled.

The company, which also makes a crisp, young Blanco and an elegant, gently aged Reposado all in similarly-designed modern bottles, grows its 100% blue agave during the winter months in the town of Arandas, in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

See the gallery for more.

Ultra-premium may be a popular buzz word for marketers, but there is a difference between the truly high-end spirits and the ones that are simply "ok". Pasion Azteca is the real deal. Made by Ley .925, only 66 bottles of the 100% blue agave tequila, aged for six years, will be produced. The tequila will be packaged in handmade gold and platinum bottles with original art (pictured) from Alejandro Gómez Oropeza on the labels. It is being marketed as the most unique and expensive tequila in history - and they're not kidding. Each bottle is $150,000. 

Interested? You'll have to contact the company directly to get your hands on a bottle before they're released on July 21.

[Thanks, Jake]

Another ultra-premium tequila will be crowding the shelves this summer. La Certeza is an estate-crafted, blue agave tequila which will pop in select markets next month. The tequila is created from agaves grown on the Beckmann estate near the town of Tequila. The new tequila is a collaboration between the Beckmanns, the former co-owners of Jose Cuervo, the Boissets and the La Certeza family, a group of tequila artisans. There are three versions a Blanco which sells for $40, a Reposado for $45 and the Añejo for $60. Anyone had the chance to taste this one yet?