Kind of like Champagne, Tequila has a formal "Denomination of Origin” and can only be made in certain geographical regions, of Mexico: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Tequila is an actual town in Jalisco, the state in which the majority of tequila is made.
TEQUILA 101
THere aren't rules
to drinking tequila,
but there are ruleS
to making it.
DENOMInATION OF ORIGIN
AGAVE
Not only is tequila made from “agave,” but did you know that there are roughly 200 different types of agave in the americas, about 40 of which can be used to produce a distilled spirit? Tequila can only be made specifically from the Weber Blue Agave that grow in the five states of the D.O. mentioned above.
ADDITIVES
LONG FORM ADDITIVE WRITE UP
TERMS TO KNOW
Mixto: Tequila that is made with at least 51% agave, up to 99%. This is often the cheap stuff, and likely what made you sick that time when you were younger.
100% Agave Tequila: Tequila made with 99-100% agave juice.
Blanco: Tequila that is unaged or aged up to 2 months in oak barrels. Most blanco is not aged. If unnaged and with no additives, blanco tequila is clear. It is sometimes called “plata” or “silver.”
Reposado: Tequila that is aged 2-12 months in oak barrels. Reposado is the Spanish word for “rested” in English, and is often yellow to brown in color from the interaction the liquid has with the barrel during the aging process.
Anejo: Anejo translates to “aged” in English, and is a tequila housed in oak barrels anywhere from 12 months to 3 years. Anejos are generally darker in color and take on a lot of new flavors from the extra time spent in the wood barrels.
Extra Anejo: A super aged tequila that has been in oak barrels for over 3 years.