Types of Tequila: Blanco, Joven, Reposado, Añejo and Extra Añejo

Tequila has a legal definition, so this isn't a matter of opinion. The rules are in NOM-006-SCFI-2012, Mexico's official standard. US law follows it: under 27 CFR 5.148, tequila must be made in Mexico under Mexico's rules. We read the standard itself, checked November 2026.

How is tequila made?

The standard walks through it. A worker cuts the blue agave at the base and prunes off the leaves, which leaves the heart, called the piña or head. That step is the jima. Wikipedia's sourced entry puts the harvest somewhere between the seventh and fourteenth year of the plant. The piña is cooked or otherwise broken down so its carbohydrates turn to sugar, the sugar is extracted and fermented, and the result is distilled. Everything after that is what sets the classes apart: water to bring it to bottling strength, time in oak, or a blend.

What's the difference between 100% agave and plain tequila?

This matters more than the class, and it's easy to miss. The standard has two categories. A bottle marked 100% agave gets all its sugars from blue agave grown in the protected region, and it has to be bottled at a plant the producer controls there. A bottle marked only tequila can get up to 49% of its sugars from something else, and it can be bottled by someone other than the producer. People call that second kind mixto, though the word isn't in the standard. If the label doesn't say 100%, it isn't.

Is gold tequila better than silver?

Not by definition. Gold just means joven, and joven has two legal routes. One is blanco blended with aged tequila. The other is blanco with a softener added, such as caramel color. So the color doesn't tell you how old it is, and it may not come from a barrel at all. Blanco is the one class that can't take a softener at all. Reposado, añejo and extra añejo may, up to the 1% limit.

How do you read a bottle?

The Tequila Regulatory Council's labeling rules require the word tequila, the category, the class, the alcohol by volume, and the legend made in Mexico. Look for the NOM followed by a number. Each authorized producer has its own number, so two brands with the same NOM number came from the same producer. On export bottles, the class may be in English, so silver, gold, aged, extra aged and ultra aged are the same five classes.

What about cristalino?

It isn't a class, and the standard doesn't mention it. VinePair notes that the Consejo Regulador del Tequila doesn't formally recognize it. It's usually aged tequila filtered until the color is gone, and legally it sits in whichever class its age puts it. If you like it, drink it. Just don't expect the word to tell you anything official.

Where can tequila be made?

In five states, and only one of them entirely. Blue agave has to be grown there, and the tequila has to be made there. The declaration the standard relies on dates from 1977, and the US has recognized tequila as a distinctive product of Mexico since February 1, 1974.

Jalisco

The whole state

Michoacán

30 municipalities

Tamaulipas

11 municipalities

Nayarit

8 municipalities

Guanajuato

7 municipalities

For how that compares with mezcal, which comes from different agaves and different states, read mezcal vs. tequila.

Which one should you order?

This part is opinion. Blanco tastes most like cooked agave, peppery and bright, and it's the usual pick for a margarita. Reposado has picked up some oak and goes softer. Añejo and extra añejo pick up vanilla and caramel from the wood, and people usually sip them. Larousse Cocina says cocktails should use blanco or reposado, "never añejo." Our El Jefe breaks that rule, with Vozul añejo.

What we pour

The tequilas named on our list are Vozul and Tanteo. The menu names the class only where you see it below. For the rest, ask your server.

For where to sit with one of these, see our margarita bar page. You must be 21 to order alcohol.