Tequila Extra Añejo

Where it started

Extra añejo is the fifth and longest-aged class in the 2012 tequila standard.¹ The CRT summarizes it as tequila matured for a minimum of three years in oak or holm-oak barrels with a maximum capacity of 600 liters.²

Where and how it's made

The rule mirrors añejo with a longer clock. The tequila must mature at least three years in direct contact with oak or holm-oak wood, in containers of 600 liters or less.¹ Maturation has to happen inside the appellation territory, and the containers stay sealed by the conformity body for the whole period.¹ Strength is brought to between 35 and 55 percent alcohol with dilution water.¹

Extra añejo may be abocado like the other aged classes: up to 1 percent by weight of caramel color, oak extract, glycerin or sugar syrup before bottling.¹ Those four softeners are the subject of the "additive-free" debate. nom-additives-and-labels →

Blends take the younger class name: mixing extra añejo into an añejo gives an añejo, and into a reposado gives a reposado, so an extra añejo label means every drop met the three-year minimum.¹

In the U.S., age statements on agave spirits are optional, but agave spirits aged at least four years may use general maturity wording without a specific age statement.³

How to taste it

A snifter or Glencairn, neat, with time in the glass. Expect dried fig, toffee, cocoa, leather and baking spice, with cooked agave somewhere underneath. Pair with crème brûlée, aged Manchego or a square of dark chocolate after dinner.

Styles and what the label means

• Extra añejo — the Spanish class name.¹
• Ultra aged — the permitted English export term.¹
• Extra añejo cristalino — filtered clear after aging; still legally an extra añejo. cristalino →