Tequila Añejo

Where it started

Añejo is the fourth of the five classes in the 2012 tequila standard.¹ The CRT's summary of the rule: añejo must mature for at least one year in direct contact with oak or holm oak.²

Where and how it's made

The definition has two numbers. The tequila must mature for at least one year in direct contact with oak or holm-oak wood, and the containers may hold no more than 600 liters.¹ The size cap is the difference from reposado: small barrels give more wood surface per liter, which is what builds an añejo's oak character.

As with every class, the maturation must take place inside the appellation territory, and the containers remain sealed by the conformity body throughout.¹ Añejo may be abocado, softened with up to 1 percent of caramel color, oak extract, glycerin or sugar syrup by weight.¹ Blend an añejo with extra añejo and the result is labeled añejo.¹

In the U.S., 27 CFR 5.74(c) makes age statements on agave spirits optional, but 5.74(f)(1) requires one when a label carries an age or maturity representation, unless the agave spirit is aged at least four years; the rule does not say whether the word añejo counts.³

How to taste it

A Glencairn or snifter, neat, with a few minutes to open. Look for cooked agave under vanilla, butterscotch, cinnamon, dried apricot and toasted oak. A drop of water can lift the agave back up. Pair with mole negro, braised short rib or dark chocolate.

Styles and what the label means

• Añejo — the Spanish class name.¹
• Extra aged — the permitted English export term for añejo; "Aged" is reposado.¹
• 100% de agave añejo — blue agave only, a year or more in small oak. tequila →
• Cristalino añejo — an añejo filtered clear; still legally an añejo. cristalino →