🥃 Tequila extra añejo
The longest-aged tequila class under NOM-006-SCFI-2012: at least three years in oak containers up to 600 litres; introduced in 2006; labelled Ultra aged for export. 35–55% ABV.
Tequila extra añejo (“extra aged”) is the top shelf of tequila ageing, the class for those who sip aged whisky or brandy. Under the Mexican standard NOM-006-SCFI-2012 it spends at least three years in oak containers of no more than 600 litres. This class was the last of the five to be added, in 2006. Strength ranges from 35 to 55% ABV.
How the class emerged. According to Difford's Guide, extra añejo was introduced in March 2006; VinePair also gives 2006 as the year of official recognition. Until then añejo was the oldest class, and producers who kept tequila in barrels for years had no separate label for it.
Rules. The oak is roble or encino, and the barrels up to 600 litres. Softening is allowed: caramel colouring, oak extract, glycerine or sugar syrup, together no more than 1% of the weight. For export the class may be called Ultra aged; the label Extra aged belongs to añejo. If extra añejo is blended with añejo, the result is añejo: the younger component determines the class.
Taste and use. VinePair describes the colour as deep gold to reddish brown, and the taste as smooth and complex. There is no upper limit to ageing, and many bottles are much older than three years. This tequila is usually sipped slowly and neat. Extra añejo is also used to make cristalino, by decolourising it with charcoal.
Why this matters to you. “Extra añejo” guarantees at least three years in oak up to 600 litres, but the colour may partly come from caramel. Pay attention to the export names: Ultra aged is extra añejo, Extra aged is añejo. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Tequila's classes climb with time in oak: blanco, joven, reposado, añejo and, at the very top, extra añejo. The fifth rung is the latecomer, added when the 2005 NOM was issued in 2006. Before that añejo was the oldest label a producer could use, and barrels left to age for years had no category of their own.
Facts
| Legal basis | NOM-006-SCFI-2012, item 4.36.5; Ultra aged for export (item 5.2.2) |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years |
| Cask type | oak (roble or encino) up to 600 litres |
| Year founded | class introduced in 2006 |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 35–55% ABV at 20 °C |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Tequila extra 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
- Part of
- 🥃 Tequila classes, 🌵 Tequila
- Similar and different
- 🥃 1800 Cristalino, 🌵 Mezcal, 🥃 Tequila blanco, 🥃 Tequila blanco, 🥃 Tequila joven, 🥃 Tequila joven, 🥃 Tequila reposado, 🥃 Tequila reposado, 🥃 Tequila añejo, 🥃 Tequila añejo
Frequently asked questions
Is Extra aged on a tequila label the same as extra añejo?
No. Under NOM-006, Extra aged is the export name for añejo; extra añejo is called Ultra aged for export.
How long is extra añejo tequila aged?
At least three years in oak containers up to 600 litres; there is no upper limit.
When was the extra añejo class introduced?
In 2006; Difford's Guide gives March 2006.
What happens if you blend extra añejo with añejo?
Under the standard the blend is called añejo: the younger component determines the class.
Can caramel be added to extra añejo?
Yes, softening is allowed: caramel colouring, oak extract, glycerine or sugar syrup, together no more than 1% of the weight.
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.
- 🥃 1800 Cristalino — Clear aged 1800 Tequila: oak barrels, a finish in port casks, charcoal filtering; añejo class according to Difford's Guide; 40% ABV in the US.
Similar
🥃 Tequila 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)
- Australian Bartender