The Four Styles Of Tequila

There are four officially sanctioned styles of top shelf tequila authorized by the government agency CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila), which regulates the spirit: blanco, sometimes called silver or plata, it is bottled clear and unaged; reposado, barrel aged from two to 11 months, giving it a tannish hue; añejo, deeper in color and aged from one to three years; extra añejo, rich, brownish-golden tequilas that have been aged longer than three years.

How long? That depends upon the taste profile the maestro tequilero is after, with The Bad Stuff (yes, that’s the brand’s misleading name) currently leading the pack with its recently released Doce XII, a superb 12-year-old silky-smooth bottle that goes for $1,000. Older than that, the barrels tend to dominate the spirit, often making it woody and overpowering. But no matter what amount of time it has spent in oak, to produce a superior aged tequila, you must start with a superior blanco.



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