Blanco vs reposado vs añejo

Tequila labels use four words for age and one word that matters more than all of them: agave.

Read this first: 100 percent agave

Tequila must be made in designated regions of Mexico from blue weber agave. A bottle that says 100 percent de agave is made only from agave sugars. A bottle that does not say it is a mixto, where up to 49 percent of the fermentable sugar can come from other sources. Mixto is why a generation of people think tequila causes headaches. Check the front label before anything else.

Blanco

Also called silver or plata. Unaged, or rested less than two months. This is tequila with nothing between you and the agave: bright, peppery, citrusy, vegetal, a little saline. It is the correct choice for margaritas, palomas and anything with lime, because the agave cuts through citrus instead of hiding behind wood.

Good blanco is also very drinkable neat at room temperature, which surprises people.

Reposado

Rested two months to a year in oak. The barrel rounds off the sharp edges and adds vanilla, caramel and a light golden colour, while the agave still comes through. Reposado is the most flexible bottle on the shelf: it makes a richer margarita, sips easily, and is the safest gift when you do not know someone's taste.

Añejo

Aged one to three years in barrels no larger than 600 litres. Darker, softer and sweeter, with oak, dried fruit and baking spice taking the lead. Añejo drinks like a brown spirit and suits a bourbon drinker. Sip it neat or use it in a tequila old fashioned. Putting it in a blended margarita wastes it.

Extra añejo

Over three years in oak. Deep amber, very soft, heavily oak-driven. Essentially an after-dinner spirit.

Cristalino

Añejo or extra añejo filtered to remove the colour. You get barrel sweetness with a clear pour. Some people love the trick; purists point out that filtration strips character along with colour.

Additives

Tequila may legally contain small amounts of caramel colour, oak extract, glycerin and syrup without being declared. Additive-free producers say so on the label or in their marketing. If a tequila tastes conspicuously of vanilla frosting, that is usually why.

Highland versus lowland

Agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco tends to be sweeter and more floral. Lowland agave is more earthy, peppery and mineral. Neither is better; they are different starting points.

How to pour each

Margaritas and palomas: blanco. Richer margaritas and sipping on a rock: reposado. Neat after dinner, or an agave old fashioned: añejo. Special-occasion pour: extra añejo.

Mezcal is not tequila

Mezcal can be made from many agave varieties, and the agave hearts are roasted in earth pits, which is where the smoke comes from. If you like peated Scotch, mezcal is worth a bottle.

Selection changes week to week, so call to confirm a specific bottle.