🥃 Tequila añejo
Tequila class under NOM-006-SCFI-2012: at least one year in oak containers up to 600 litres; labelled Extra aged for export; a blend with extra añejo stays añejo. 35–55% ABV.
Tequila añejo (“aged”) is the class of sipping tequila for readers who like bourbon and whisky: an aged tequila under the Mexican standard NOM-006-SCFI-2012. It has been aged for at least one year in oak containers of no more than 600 litres. Unlike reposado, the barrel size is limited, so the wood has a stronger effect. Strength ranges from 35 to 55% ABV.
Rules. The oak may be roble or encino. Añejo may be softened with caramel colouring, oak extract, glycerine or sugar syrup, together no more than 1% of the weight. Under the standard a blend of añejo with extra añejo is called añejo. For the international market the class may be labelled Extra aged. Do not confuse it with extra añejo, which is labelled Ultra aged for export.
Barrels and taste. According to VinePair, añejo is usually aged for one to three years in 200-litre barrels that previously held bourbon. The colour turns amber, notes of honey, vanilla and baking spices appear, and the drink is often compared with whisky. After three years of ageing the same tequila may be called extra añejo.
Use. Añejo is usually sipped neat or with ice, slowly, like an aged spirit; some bartenders use it in place of whisky in an Old Fashioned. Añejo is also often used to make cristalino, a tequila decolourised with charcoal, which the CRT does not recognise as a separate class.
Why this matters to you. “Añejo” guarantees at least a year in oak up to 600 litres, but the colour may partly come from caramel. The labels Extra aged and Ultra aged on export bottles refer to different classes. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Legal basis | NOM-006-SCFI-2012, item 4.36.4; Extra aged for export (item 5.2.2) |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | at least 1 year |
| Cask type | oak (roble or encino) up to 600 litres; often 200-litre bourbon barrels |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 35–55% ABV at 20 °C |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Tequila añejo → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Blue agave
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Related to
- 🥃 Old Fashioned
- Part of
- 🥃 Tequila classes, 🌵 Tequila
- Similar and different
- 🌵 Mezcal, 🥃 Tequila blanco, 🥃 Tequila blanco, 🥃 Tequila joven, 🥃 Tequila joven, 🥃 Tequila reposado, 🥃 Tequila reposado, 🥃 Tequila extra añejo, 🥃 Tequila extra añejo
Frequently asked questions
Does Extra aged on a tequila label mean extra añejo?
No. Under NOM-006, Extra aged is the export name of the añejo class; extra añejo is called Ultra aged for export.
How long is tequila añejo aged?
At least one year in oak containers up to 600 litres. From three years, the tequila may belong to the extra añejo class.
Is añejo tequila aged in bourbon barrels?
The standard says oak containers up to 600 litres; according to VinePair, most often 200-litre barrels that previously held bourbon.
Can caramel be added to añejo?
It can be: softening with caramel colouring, oak extract, glycerine or syrup is allowed, together up to 1% of the weight.
How do you drink añejo tequila, and can it replace whisky in an Old Fashioned?
Usually neat or on ice in small measures; some bartenders use it in an Old Fashioned instead of whisky.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel — American white oak cask of 180–200 litres used for bourbon: bourbon may only be aged in new charred casks, so used ones go to Scotch, Irish whiskey and rum, and show as “Bourbon Cask” on labels.
- 🌵 Mezcal — Mezcal is a Mexican distillate of 100% agave of any species, 35–55% ABV. Plain mezcal, artesanal and ancestral differ in oven, mill and still, not in age. Appellation of origin since 1994.
- 🥃 Tequila blanco — Clear tequila class under NOM-006-SCFI-2012 (blanco, plata, Silver for export): no softening additives, under two months in oak; 35–55% ABV. The usual base for a Margarita.
Similar
🥃 Tequila extra añejo · 🥃 Tequila reposado · 🥃 Tequila blanco · 🥃 Tequila joven · 🥃 Tequila classes · 🥃 Mezcal with worm (con gusano)
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- NOM-006-SCFI-2012, Bebidas alcohólicas — Tequila — Especificaciones (DOF 13.12.2012): 4.1 abocado (caramel colour, natural oak extract, glycerine, sugar syrup); 4.36.1–4.36.5 classes blanco/plata, joven/oro, reposado (≥ 2 months, direct contact with oak), añejo (≥ 1 year, ≤ 600 l), extra añejo (≥ 3 years, ≤ 600 l); mixing rules; 5.2.2 export names Silver, Gold, Aged, Extra aged, Ultra aged; 6.1.1 35–55 % vol.; 6.1.1.1 abocantes ≤ 1 % of weight; ≤ 75 g/l sugars with additives
- Difford's Guide: Tequila classifications — blanco 0–59 days, joven/oro usually unaged with caramel, reposado from 60 days (term introduced 1968), añejo from one year in casks up to 600 l, extra añejo from three years (introduced March 2006), cristalino (2011), mixto ≥ 51 % agave sugars
- VinePair (25.02.2022): A Guide to the 5 Different Types of Tequila (and Cristalino) — flavour and use of each class; reposado 2–12 months, often ex-American whiskey barrels, pipones up to 10,000 l; añejo 1–3 years, often 200 l ex-bourbon; extra añejo recognised 2006; cristalino not a CRT category
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)