Certain spirits are ingrained in a culture that the rest of the world respects its right to be the sole maker of it. Bourbon is one example. It could be made anywhere but most places in the world will not let you sell it as bourbon unless it is made in Kentucky. I can duplicate how scotch is made right down to use the peat from an islay but I can not sell it as scotch, just as whiskey.
The same is true with tequila. It must be made in one of 5 states in Mexico and the base must be the blue agave. This is where big business will start to pull the wool over your eyes.
Once the agaves have been processed and fermented it will become one of several grades. Unlike the way grades are normally applied (worst to best), tequila grade merely tell you what happened after fermentation. Some are bottled directly. These are silver (Blanco). Other spend up to a year in old bourbon cask where they start to gain a little color from the tannins. These are Reposado (rested). Some times Blanco and Reposado are blended together to give you a Joven (young tequila) Between 1 and 3 years it becomes an Anejo and after the third year it is an Extra Anejo.
Now older by no means better. If you want the full flavor of agave you want a Blanco. Many bartenders push Anejo for a premium margarita but the complexities are lost to the lime. It would be like making Sangria with a Rothchild
But let us see where else big business might be taking advantage of the consumer. After all the are made of agave right? Not always. It only has to be 51% agave to be still labeled tequila. They use sugar water for the rest of the sugar for fermentation unless it says 100% agave It will say that on the label if it is. But if it has a golden color at least it was aged, right? Well, that do you think would happen if they caramelized the sugar before adding it to the agave mash? A gold color. Oh no you think, at least it was bottled in Mexico, that part is law. No, its not, it just has to be made there. The largest bottler in the world of tequila is the US.
This is the truth of the matter, that bottle of good "gold" tequila was most likely 49% sugar cane that was caramelized to resembled aging and bottled in Kentucky (Kentucky is one of the big hub for tequila going to the Atlantic seaboard) and sold as a premium product.
Both the Mexican and American government make sure you get what the bottle says it is. It it up to you, the consumer, to read the label.
Thaddeus McCleskey is a writer with the North Georgia Creative Concepts. Learn more at http://ngacreativeconcepts.com/.
Rob Mash & DPunked - Bourbon Shake (Original Mix)
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