Glossary

    Agave. Plant with long spiny leaves of the lily family. There are more than 400 species, all native to North America and mostly to Mexico. Tequila is made exclusively from the agave azul (blue agave) variety.

    Añejo. Tequila Blanco aged in oak barrels for more than a year. It has a golden amber color with a soft, smooth, complex flavor.  While some are aged in new barrels most are stored in a barrica (charred barrel mostly made of oak that previously held bourbon or whiskey) for 1 to three years

    Blanco Clear, fresh from the still tequila is called Blanco (white or silver). It has the true bouquet and flavor of the blue agave. It is usually strong and is traditionally enjoyed in a "caballito" (shot glass).  

    Gold  is Tequila Blanco mellowed by the addition of colorings and flavorings, caramel being the most common. It is also known as Extra, Joven (young), or Abocado.

    Mezcal (or mescal). All liquors distilled from any agave plant are mezcal, but only those made from the blue agave are branded as tequila. Tequila is mezcal produced in the Tequila Region.

   NOM. Norma Official Mexicana. The official Mexican standard or NOM defines tequila as the product of fermentation and distillation of the blue agave juices (mostos) obtained at the distillery from agave cores or piñas grown in the Tequila Region.

    Reposado or rested is Tequila Blanco that has been kept in white oak casks or vats called "pipones" for more than two months and up to one year. The oak barrels give Reposado a mellowed taste, pleasing bouquet, and its pale color. Reposados keep the blue agave taste and are gentler to the palate than Blancos.

    Tequila. Both the region and the town that gave the spirit of tequila its name.