- 1
The sugar
The agave plant grows for six years or more storing inulin, a chain of fructose. Its heart, the piña, is cooked in ovens or autoclaves to break the inulin into sugar, then crushed.
- 2
The ferment
The juice (mosto) ferments for a few days to about 5–7%.
- 3
The still
At least twice by law, in copper or steel pot stills, sometimes in columns.
- 4
The wait
Blanco: unaged or under two months. Reposado: at least 2 months in oak. Añejo: at least a year. Extra añejo: three years or more.
The rules
- Only from Agave tequilana, blue variety
- Only in Jalisco and parts of four other Mexican states
- At least 51% agave sugars; '100% agave' means nothing else
- Blanco, reposado (2 months), añejo (1 year), extra añejo (3 years)
In the glass
Cooked agave: green, peppery, citrus; oak brings vanilla in the aged ones.