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NOM, Additives and Labels
What the NOM number, '100% agave' and the class name guarantee on tequila and mezcal labels, what may go unlisted, and what 'additive-free' means.
In one sip
A tequila label carries the category, the class and the producer's NOM number. Additive watchdogs quoted by VinePair say producers need not tell drinkers about permitted softeners, though the standard does make tequilas with added colorants or flavorings name the color or flavor on the label. That gap started the "additive-free" movement.
Where it started
The tequila standard requires every bottle to carry the official NOM mark with the authorized producer's registration number, the category and class, alcohol by volume and "Hecho en México" or similar.1 It bans wording such as "100% natural" or "100% reposado" as misleading.1 It also allows abocado: softening with caramel color, natural oak extract, glycerin or sugar-based syrup, up to 1 percent of the tequila's weight before bottling.1
Where and how it's made
Grover and Scarlet Sanschagrin of Tequila Matchmaker launched an additive-free verification program; by August 2020 it had verified 186 products.5 It is a private program, not law: it lacks authority to award government-backed certification.5 The confirmed brands later formed the Additive Free Alliance, relaunched in 2024 as a non-profit that confirms status by lab-testing bottles bought at retail and that now covers other agave spirits.6
The regulator disagrees with the idea. The CRT stated that any scheme to certify or confirm a brand as additives-free misleads the consumer.7 In circulars of March 4 and August 12, 2024, it called certifying a tequila as additive-free technically infeasible, and in March 2025 it reported sending warning letters to producers whose brands used the claim.4 Treat "additive-free" on a tequila as a private claim, never a CRT certification.
How to taste it
Find the NOM number and class first, then taste for balance: cooked agave should show at every age. Heavy vanilla or cake-batter sweetness in a young tequila is worth noting, though taste alone proves nothing.
Styles and what the label means
- NOM + number — the official mark with the authorized producer's registration number; it identifies who made the tequila, not who owns the brand.1
- 100% de agave — blue agave sugar only, bottled inside the appellation.1
- Tequila alone — at least 51 percent agave sugar.3
- Mezcal labels — must name the agave species and state, plus PROTECTED DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN in capitals at least 3 mm tall.2
- Mezcal outside claims — any third-party claim needs the certifier's written approval to appear on the label.2
- In the U.S. — agave spirits may contain flavoring or coloring as 27 CFR 5.155 allows: up to 2.5 percent by volume of non-essential materials without changing the class.89
Words to know
Tap a term to get asked about it in The Tasting Room.
Start here — craft pours to try
Real bottles from craft makers on Tipxy.
Sources
- NOM-006-SCFI-2012 Bebidas alcohólicas — Tequila — Especificaciones (DOF, 13 Dec 2012) accessed 2026-10-12
- NOM-070-SCFI-2016 Alcoholic Beverages — Mezcal — Specifications (English text, COMERCAM) accessed 2026-10-12
- Consejo Regulador del Tequila — Our Tequila accessed 2026-10-12
- Consejo Regulador del Tequila — Circular, 'Additive-Free' Product Claims (18 Mar 2025) accessed 2026-10-12
- VinePair — A Disruptive Transparency Initiative Is Shining Light on Tequila Additives (2020) accessed 2026-10-12
- In Good Spirits — Tequila Matchmaker re-launches its Additive Free Program as a separate non-profit (2024) accessed 2026-10-12
- The Daily Pour — CRT statement on additive-free verification (2024) accessed 2026-10-12
- 27 CFR 5.148 Agave spirits (eCFR) accessed 2026-10-12
- 27 CFR 5.155 Alteration of class and type (eCFR) accessed 2026-10-12
Photo: Mrkstvns, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons