Reposado

Reposado ("rested") is the entry tier of aged tequila and aged 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 reposado has spent between two and twelve months in oak barrels of no more than 600 litres in capacity; the equivalent provision in 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 to mezcal reposado. American oak (Quercus alba) is the dominant wood, though French oak and ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and ex-wine casks all appear in the premium segment.

Two to twelve months is the window in which the spirit picks up vanillin (vanilla), the cis- and trans-whiskey lactones (often called the oak lactones, with a coconut character), and a pale gold to light amber color, without yet losing the green-vegetal and mineral signatures of the underlying agave. A well-judged reposado is the most balanced expression on the aging ladder for many palates: enough oak to round the edges of a high-proof distillate, not enough to overwrite the agave.

The barrel-size cap (600 litres maximum) matters because surface-area-to-volume ratio drives extraction speed; smaller barrels age faster. A four-month tequila in a 200-litre cask shows more oak than a four-month tequila in a 600-litre cask. The distillation chapter walks the full aging chemistry. The regulation chapter covers the tier ladder in its 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). context.