Don Julio’s 1942 Añejo is one of the most in-demand sipping tequilas on the market today, but for 2025 it will matter not just whether you’ve got the liquid on your bar, but which bottle it’s housed within. That’s because Don Julio has taken their rare 1942 liquid and released a special collection for the Lunar New Year: Don Julio 1942 Year of the Snake.
The liquid in this release is not different from the liquid in the standard 1942 releases. That means the same añejo, same wood-forward profile, and the same minimum 2.5-year aging process as the regular bottle. Many brands release so-called “art bottles” for holidays. This one is definitely a work of art—a red and gold eye-catcher of a bottle, with a design “merging the Chinese Zodiac snake and the Aztec feathered serpent.”
This release marks an interesting shift, however, in trends. The Lunar New Year is typically the realm of high-end whisky and cognac releases; tequila typically releases its holiday-themed limited editions around Day of the Dead and Cinco de Mayo. Don Julio’s selection of the Lunar New Year signals two things in particular—that super-premium tequila’s reach is now extending to Asian markets, and that Asian markets interested in super-premium spirits are noticing tequila.
Will that mean less for the U.S. market and more for the foreign markets? That remains to be seen. A limited number of retailers will be stocking this limited-edition packaging while supplies last. It’s a unique way to have 1942 in your collection while standing out a little from the crowd and have a little extra tequila in January. $200
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for perspectives on drinks, and stuff.