RICHMOND, Va., September 12, 2026. Mosto Tequila, a small-batch brand built by two brothers from Los Altos de Jalisco and their friends in Richmond, now sits on the same shortlist as Patrón and Tequila Ocho. The 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition has named Mosto a Best of Class finalist in two categories at once: Best Reposado Tequila for Mosto Reposado and Best Blanco Tequila for Mosto Edición Salvaje. Both earned Double Gold in blind judging, awarded only when every judge on the panel scores an entry as Gold.
And it wasn't a fluke. Earlier this year at the 2026 Agavos Awards, the same two expressions took Double Gold, scoring 97 and 98 points. Two of the toughest competitions in the industry, two blind panels, the same verdict.
The story starts in Los Altos de Jalisco, where tequila is not a trend. It's what's on the table. Brothers Paulo and Nelson Benavides grew up there; their father ran a restaurant, and as kids they rode along to the distilleries in Arandas to pick up tequila for it. Their family, friends and agave growers are still there today.
Los Altos, the highlands, is the source of many of the most sought-after tequilas in the world: higher elevation and red, iron-rich soil make the agave grow slower and sweeter. It's the only agave Mosto uses.
Years later, alongside their friends Dave Michelow and Matt Tarpey of The Veil Brewing Co., Mosto took shape over a lot of conversations and a lot of bottles. No boardroom, no business plan — four friends who wanted to make a tequila they were proud to pour. The brothers spent years going back to the distilleries they knew, tasting relentlessly, until they found Oscar Vázquez, Mosto's master distiller, one of the most talented rising names in the region. The mission was simple: make a tequila in small quantities that could go toe to toe with any bottle in the world and win.
On the Reposado shortlist Mosto stands beside Tequila Ocho and Don Vicente; on the Blanco shortlist, Patrón and Tierra Noble. Global brands with decades of history, and in the middle of them, a small-batch tequila made by people raised in the highlands. Best of Class winners will be announced at The Tasting Alliance's Top Shelf Gala in November.
"This started as a few friends making the tequila we grew up with. Seeing our name next to Patrón and Ocho, in two categories, is proof the liquid speaks for itself. This belongs to everyone who has touched this project — Oscar and the crew at the distillery, the hands that harvest the agave, and the partners, bartenders and friends who pour Mosto every night."
"People hear Virginia and assume we found tequila late. We were in the distilleries in Arandas before we were old enough to drink, loading bottles into my dad's truck. This isn't a category we entered. It's the place we're from."
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is judged blind by the industry's most respected experts and draws thousands of entries from around the world.
For more information on distribution and shipping, visit mostotequila.com.