Tequila is a spirit made primarily in the area surrounding Tequila, a town in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, 65 km northwest of Guadalajara. It is made from the blue agave (also known as Agave tequilana azul, Weber's blue agave, and also called Maguey by the local people), part of the lily and amaryllis families, which is native to Mexico. Most common tequilas are 35% to 55% alcohol (70 to 110 proof).

Regions and Other Variations

Tequila is only one type of mezcal, which is the name of any distilled alcohol made from the agave plant. What makes tequila different from other mezcals is its adherence to the strict standards set by the Tequila Regulatory Council, the region where it is made – Denominación de Origen regulations restrict its production to specific regions in the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Tamaulipas and Nayarit – and the fact that tequila is made from Agave tequilana Weber, also called blue agave or agave azul. Tequila is required to be at least 51% agave; the remainder is usually maize or sugarcane. There are, however, premium tequilas made from 100% blue agave. If it is not made from 100% agave, tequila is referred to as mixto, although labels in the bottles will say only "Tequila". Tequila that is made only from agave must be bottled in Mexico and will say in the label "Tequila 100% de Agave" or "Tequila 100% puro de Agave" (some may add the word Azul after agave).

Types of Tequila

Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories:

• oro ("gold") – unaged tequila which is "joven y abogado" (young and adulterated) which means that caramel, fructose, glycerin and wood flavoring can be added to resemble aged tequila
• blanco ("white") or plata ("silver") – non-aged white spirit
• reposado ("rested") – aged a minimum of 2 months but less than a year in oak barrels
• añejo ("aged" or "vintage") – aged minimum 1 year but less than 3 years in oak barrels
• extra añejo ("extra aged") – aged minimum 3 year in oak barrels This is a new category which was established in March 2006.

The aging process changes the color of tequila. A darker color is indicative of a longer aging process although lesser quality tequilas often have color added to mimic this effect. Añejos tend to be darkest, the reposados slightly less dark, while the platas are not colored at all.