ABOUT TEQUILA

Like Mexican culture itself, Tequila is the result of a creative encounter between two worlds, although it is likely that Mexicans would not be inclined to refer to it as creative as much as confrontational, an imposition and, reluctantly, a conquering. The ancient indigenous peoples of this romantic country drank the fermented juice of the agave in the same way that Europeans drank beer or wine. In colonial times, the Spanish came, they saw, and they introduced the distillation process to obtain the liquor now known as Tequila. It may be referred to in some circles as Moctezuma's Legacy, but the fact of the matter is that it was crafted and refined by the Spanish who, while spreading their culture, were intent upon maintaining their love of intemperance and serious drinking.

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Tequila is a spirit made by fermenting and distilling the juice of the Weber Blue Agave plant. If you are getting ready for that next tasting party at your home or simply are desirous of furthering your education about Tequila, know that it takes 8 to 10 years for a blue agave plant to reach maturity. It is grown in an officially delimited region of west-central Mexico in the five states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, and Michoacán. The blue agave, contrary to what many are led to believe, is not part of the cactus family, so stop looking around the deserts of Arizona to impress those traveling with you. Mezcal, interestingly enough, is the Aztec word for the agave plant but it is not a Tequila, although Mezcal comes from the agave plant it is from outside the delimited area. All Tequila is mezcal, but not all Mezcal is Tequila.

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The  cores are then harvested, trimmed, cut in quarters, baked in steam ovens until their starch converts to sugar, at which point they are pumped into fermentation tanks where the process lasts between 4 and 6 days.

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After the Fermentation process, the distillation process comes last, where by Tequila rule it must be distilled twice in stainless steel alembics to finally obtain the Mexican drink called Tequila.

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TYPES OF TEQUILA

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All tequilas start out as Blanco, with portions set aside for aging.

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BLANCO (also referred to as White, Silver, and Plata) is colorless, with little or no aging. Blancos are usually bottled right after distillation, and are a great choice for mixed drinks. 

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REPOSADO It rests in 200-liter White Oak barrels, both French and American, where it gets its unique flavor from the combination of these two barrels between 2 and 11 months, with an average of 6 months Rest.

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AÑEJO It is aged in 200 liter barrels of White Oak, both French and American, where it gets its unique flavor from the combination of these two barrels between 13 and 35 months, with an average resting time of 18 months.

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EXTRA-AÑEJO is the newest classification, it is aged in American White Oak barrels between 2 and 8 years with an average of 4 years

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The word "tequila" is owned by the Mexican government. Tequila labels usually bear the letters- NOM (Norma Official Mexicana) which are the initials of the Mexican government agency and serves as a quality seal to verify that the Tequila conforms to the laws and standards governing tequila production.