Tequila 201
Beyond the Celebrity Bottle
A famous name on the front of a bottle tells you who financed it. The back label tells you who made it, where, and how. Here's how to read the part that matters.
100% agave, and why the phrase is load-bearing
A tequila labeled 100% agave is made entirely from Weber blue agave sugars. A bottle that just says "tequila" — often sold as gold or mixto — can legally include a meaningful share of other sugars. That single line on the label is the first filter, and it separates most of what's on a big-box shelf from most of what's worth drinking.
The second filter is additives. Regulations permit small amounts of certain additives — including sweeteners, glycerin, oak extract and coloring — without any label disclosure. That's how a spirit can taste like vanilla frosting with no barrel time to explain it. Not every additive-containing tequila is bad, and not every additive-free tequila is good. But if you've ever wondered why two blancos from the same region taste like different products, this is often why.
The four categories
Blanco
Unaged, or rested briefly. The clearest window into the agave, the water, the fermentation and the still. Nothing to hide behind.
Reposado
Rested in oak, typically two months to a year. Barrel softens edges and adds vanilla and spice — sometimes at the cost of agave clarity.
Añejo
One to three years in oak. Richer and rounder, and further from the field. A good añejo still tastes like agave, not like light whiskey.
Extra Añejo
Over three years. A dessert-shelf category. Judge it on whether the agave survived the wood.
How it's actually made
Brick ovens
Slow, gentle cooking of the agave piñas. Tends to produce sweeter, more layered cooked-agave character.
Autoclaves
Pressurized steam cooking, much faster. Efficient, and more prone to a flatter, cleaner profile.
Tahona
A stone wheel crushes the cooked agave. Labor-intensive, and often yields earthier, more textural tequila.
Roller mill
Mechanical shredding and water extraction. The industry standard, and perfectly capable of excellent results.
Fermentation
Open or closed tanks, wild or cultivated yeast, with or without fibers. This is where much of the aroma is actually created.
Copper pot stills
Traditional pot distillation, usually twice. Copper strips sulfur compounds and shapes the final texture.
Los Altos vs. the Tequila Valley
Los Altos — the highlands of Jalisco — sits at elevation in iron-rich red soil. Agave grown there is often larger and sweeter, and the tequila tends to read brighter: citrus, floral notes, a rounder sweetness.
The Tequila Valley, lower and drier, tends toward earthier, more mineral and peppery profiles. Neither is better. Tasting them side by side is the fastest way to understand that terroir in tequila is a real phenomenon and not a wine borrowing.
Reading the NOM
What does a tequila NOM number mean?
The NOM is a four-digit number identifying the registered distillery where a tequila was produced. Multiple brands can share a NOM, which means two very different-looking bottles may come out of the same facility. It tells you who made the liquid, not how good it is.
Does additive-free tequila matter?
It matters if you want to taste the distillery's work rather than a flavoring decision. Regulations allow certain undisclosed additives in small quantities, so additive-free is a meaningful signal — but it is a starting point for judging a bottle, not a guarantee of quality.