Tequila, Explained

Updated September 2026

Tequila is the most tightly regulated spirit on this site and simultaneously the one where the label tells you least. Both of those are true, and the gap between them is the most useful thing to understand about the category.

What the label guarantees, and what it doesn't

“100% de agave” means one thing: every fermentable sugar came from blue Weber agave, with nothing cut in from cane sugar. That matters — the alternative is *mixto*, which needs only 51% agave sugars.

But it is a floor, not a guarantee of purity. Under NOM-006-SCFI-2012, producers may add up to 1% of four substances — glycerin, sugar syrup, caramel colouring and oak extract — with no disclosure on the label. A bottle can read “100% agave” and contain all four.

One percent sounds trivial. It is not: glycerin and syrup change mouthfeel and sweetness at that concentration, and oak extract imitates barrel time that never happened. Properly made tequila tastes vegetal, peppery and mineral. If yours tastes like dessert, that is a signal.

In August 2024 the Consejo Regulador del Tequila declined to certify “additive-free” claims and required brands to drop the wording from labels. So the label cannot tell you. You have to know the producers.

Read the NOM number

Every legal bottle carries a four-digit Norma Oficial Mexicana number on the back label identifying the distillery. Dozens of brands share a handful of distilleries, which makes the NOM more informative than the brand name.

Start here

Best tequila for margaritas — the full additives story, and why blanco beats reposado here.

Different types of tequila — blanco, reposado, añejo, extra añejo.

Who makes Casamigos tequila

Patrón Ahumado Silver

Dos Hombres mezcal — mezcal is a separate category, not a tequila style.

Is it bad to mix vodka and tequila?

Why does tequila make me sick?

How to take a tequila shot with lime

The age classes

Blanco / silver — unaged or rested under two months. Agave, pepper, citrus. The correct choice for a margarita.

Reposado — two to twelve months in oak. Vanilla and caramel arrive; the agave recedes.

Añejo — one to three years. A sipping spirit.

Extra añejo — over three years.

Note that oak-aged classes are where caramel colouring and oak extract are most useful to a producer, since both imitate barrel time. A blanco gives an additive less to hide behind.

Everything we've published on tequila

Buying guides

Brands & bottles

Comparisons

Questions answered

Recipes & cocktails

Prices & value

Also explore: Bourbon Guide · Whiskey Guide · Rum Guide · Gin Guide · Vodka Guide · Wine Guide · Beer Guide · Brandy & Cognac · Liqueurs Guide · Bar Basics