Añejo

Añejo ("aged") is the middle aged tier of tequila and mezcal. Under NOM-006-SCFI-2012A regulatory-standard NOM is a federal Mexican product norm. Unlike facility NOMs (4-digit identifiers of specific distilleries), a standard NOM defines the rules for an entire category of product: which raw materials are permitted, where the product may be made, how it must be processed, and how the bottle must be labeled. Standard NOMs are written as "NOM-XXX-SCFI-YYYY" where XXX is the standard number and YYYY is the year. NOM-006-SCFI-2012 (Tequila). The official Mexican standard governing every aspect of Tequila production: which agave species may be used (only Agave tequilana Weber var. azul), which states and municipalities qualify, how the spirit must be distilled, what additives are permitted (up to 1% by volume even in '100% agave' bottles), and how the bottle must be labeled. Enforced by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT). a tequila añejo has spent between one and three years in oak barrels of no more than 600 litres in capacity; NOM-070-SCFI-2016A regulatory-standard NOM is a federal Mexican product norm. Unlike facility NOMs (4-digit identifiers of specific distilleries), a standard NOM defines the rules for an entire category of product: which raw materials are permitted, where the product may be made, how it must be processed, and how the bottle must be labeled. Standard NOMs are written as "NOM-XXX-SCFI-YYYY" where XXX is the standard number and YYYY is the year. NOM-070-SCFI-2016 (Mezcal). The official Mexican standard for mezcal production. Defines three production tiers (Mezcal Industrial, Mezcal Artesanal, Mezcal Ancestral) with specific equipment and method requirements for each, lists the permitted agave species and states, and governs labeling. Enforced by the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal (CRM). applies the same window to mezcal añejo. The cask must be sealed during the aging period and the regulator verifies cellar inventory.

One to three years is the window in which oak integration becomes the dominant flavor axis. The spirit picks up amber to deep gold color, pronounced vanilla, baking-spice notes (clove, cinnamon), a softening of the high-proof bite, and (in American oak) the coconut-leaning whiskey lactones. The vegetal-mineral signature of the agave is still legible in a well-made añejo but it is now one voice in a duet with the wood rather than the lead voice it was at blanco.

The category is the editorial battleground for the tequila aging tradition. Producers who built their reputations on blanco bottlings (Fortaleza, Tapatío, ArteNOM among them) treat añejo as a serious expression of an agave that has earned its time in oak. Producers who use the category as a vehicle for sugar, caramel color, oak extract, and glycerin (legal under NOM-006-SCFI-2012A regulatory-standard NOM is a federal Mexican product norm. Unlike facility NOMs (4-digit identifiers of specific distilleries), a standard NOM defines the rules for an entire category of product: which raw materials are permitted, where the product may be made, how it must be processed, and how the bottle must be labeled. Standard NOMs are written as "NOM-XXX-SCFI-YYYY" where XXX is the standard number and YYYY is the year. NOM-006-SCFI-2012 (Tequila). The official Mexican standard governing every aspect of Tequila production: which agave species may be used (only Agave tequilana Weber var. azul), which states and municipalities qualify, how the spirit must be distilled, what additives are permitted (up to 1% by volume even in '100% agave' bottles), and how the bottle must be labeled. Enforced by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT).'s 1-percent additive provision) treat añejo as a marketing tier. Two bottles labeled añejo can be dramatically different drinks. The distillation chapter covers the aging chemistry; the regulation chapter covers the additive provision.