Michael Prentice

After distillation, tequila may be bottled without oak aging or spend months or years in barrels. Oak can add vanilla, spice and other wood-derived aromas, while a barrel’s previous contents and treatment influence what it contributes. Labels such as reposado and añejo indicate minimum periods in oak.

Fermentation sits between agave preparation and distillation. The sugar-rich liquid prepared from agave, called mosto, goes into a tank where yeast produces alcohol and aroma compounds. The alcohol will later be concentrated in the still; some of the aromas formed in the tank contribute to the spirit’s character.

Brick ovens and tahonas often appear in descriptions of how a tequila is made. They belong to the stage that prepares harvested blue agave for fermentation: turning a dense, fibrous piña—the agave’s heart—into a sugar-rich liquid.

G4 is Felipe Camarena and his sons’ tequila from El Pandillo in Jesús María, Jalisco, NOM 1579. The name refers to four generations of tequila makers. Its range includes three quite different blancos: standard Blanco, the stronger 108, and Blanco Madera, fermented entirely in wood.

Ignacio González Vargas founded Siete Leguas in 1952 in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco. The name honors El Siete Leguas, General Francisco Villa’s horse. The González family’s tequila house makes a core Blanco, Reposado and Añejo alongside longer-aged and limited releases. 1

Cimarrón uses agave grown in the Highlands of Jalisco and is made by La Tequileña in the town of Tequila, NOM 1146. Its two core export expressions are Blanco and Reposado, both at 40% ABV. The growing region and distillery location are different parts of its story: Highland agave travels to the town of Tequila for production. 1

Arette is made at El Llano in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, NOM 1109. Eduardo and Jaime Orendain launched the brand in 1986, continuing a family distillery history that reaches back to 1900. The name honors Arete, the Olympic gold medal-winning horse. 1 4

Tapatío comes from the Camarena family’s La Alteña distillery in Arandas, Jalisco, NOM 1139. Don Felipe Camarena founded La Alteña in 1937; his grandson Carlos Camarena is its master distiller. Its US range moves from two blancos to Reposado, Añejo and the long-rested Excelencia Gran Reserva. 1

Mexico is preparing an agave support plan. Why growers face low prices, how contracts and tequila demand matter, and what it means for bottle prices.