The Basics: Aged Tequila

The first thing you notice when you start looking for real tequila is that it's got nothing to do with colors like Silver and Gold (I'm looking at you Jose Cuervo).  Because that silver you've been drinking is really made up of about 51% of what gives Tequila it's flavor. Oh, and the Gold usually gets its color from something yellow. No, I'm not going to say it's piss. But there's only so many ways to color things gold and those big companies have a bottom line to worry about.

BLANCO:

When you get into the 100% Agave Tequila's this is where you begin. When the tequila is distilled they throw away what's known as the heads and the tails of the distillate (the first and last bits of liquid that comes our of the still) and keep the middle which is the good stuff. Many times that middle is exactly what you find in a bottle of Blanco because Blanco is often completely un-aged or "aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels"(1)

REPOSADO:

This is probably my favorite variety. It's a nice blend of the agave flavor and a bit of aging which makes it taste, to me, a little like a whiskey. For a long while now Tequila has been fighting for legitimacy in the states; most people still think Tequila comes with a worm in it. One taste of a decent reposado and those people will rethink all of their conclusions. By law Reposado is aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels (1).

ANEJO:

When you age a Tequila between 1 and 3 years it's called Anejo. 1-3 years doesn't sound like all that much. A good scotch is often aged 15 years, after all. But what you have to remember is the climate differences. Mexico is quite a bit warmer than Scotland and this means that an Anejo ages a lot faster than a Scotch. I haven't heard any analysis about Tequila years vs. Whisky years but you can rest assured that 3 years is an awfully long time for an Anejo to spend in a barrel. The other thing you have to take into account with Tequila is the 8-10 year growth time of the Agave plants. So the work that goes into a bottle of  good Anejo really can come pretty close to what it takes to make a great scotch.

A good way to learn about the similarities and differences between these three is to order a shot of each from a particular brand at your local bar. Taste all three separately and you'll see there's a world of difference between the three varieties. These aren't the only ages you can find out there. You also have Joven which is a blend of Blanco and either Reposado or Anejo, and Extra Anejo which is aged past the 3 year mark. But from the majority of brands these are the only ages they produce so it's a good place to start.

P.S.  If anyone knows what the Tequila/Scotch age equivalent might be we'd love to hear it! Leave us a comment.