A Guide to All the Different Types of Tequila

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Arguably, one of the most popular party drinks across the world is tequila. No wild night out would be complete without someone sprinkling and subsequently licking a dash of salt from the palm of their hands, swallowing a shot of the famed liquor, and then biting on a slice of lime fruit. Another way of drinking this liquor involves lining the rim of a glass with salt crystalline. Though known famously by one name, there actually exist five different types of tequila in the world.

Blanco

As previously mentioned, the liquor drink tequila originated in North America from a town of the same name in Mexico, in the 16th century. In recent times, the city still actually exists, located around 40 miles outside Guadalajara in Mexico in Jalisco. Producing the drink involves the distillation of the juice of the heart of a fruit called the blue agave.

It’s interesting to note that the classification of tequila is determined by the length of time the tequila spends aging in the barrels. With Blanco – “White” in English – being the first on the list, you can already surmise that this type of tequila is the least aged among the remaining four. In fact, there is a lack of aging because it is bottled immediately after being distilled.

Joven

This next type of tequila is a type of Blanco tequila which contains a mixture of some aged tequila, like Blanco, or Añejo. By adding this other variety of tequila, the resulting mixture ends up becoming richer and more mature in taste. Joven tequila can also be aged by up to a few weeks before it can be bottled.

One of the curious facts about this category of tequila is that it is difficult to find because it’s so rare. If you ever encounter this type of tequila, it would do you well to know that it is also blended with glycerine.

Reposado

The next type of tequila is aged the longest, comparing it with the previous two that you’ve encountered so far. Known as Reposado, the agave is aged inside an oak barrel between a period of about two months and less than a year. Because of the time, it takes to age inside an oak barrel, the resulting flavor can be characterized as being mellow and containing hints of vanilla. If you’re looking to mix tequila with other types of drinks to come up with a Margarita cocktail, then using a Reposado tequila will be your safest bet, because of the softness that it offers your resulting cocktail mix.

Añejo

Añejo, being the third on our list, is aged for approximately one to three years inside oak or bourbon barrels. Translated in English as “vintage”, this tequila is mellower, and softer in taste compared to the previous three that you so far, have had the pleasure of knowing.

If you like to constantly drink alone, then you’ll be happy to know that you won’t have to feel embarrassed if you’re caught drinking Añejo tequila alone. It is, after all, considered as the best type of tequila for sipping because of the smooth flavor, with hints of caramel. This type of tequila also exhibits an amber coloring. Taking longer to age compared to Blanco, Joven, or Reposado, for example, it won’t be surprising to note that this tequila is more expensive.