Food + Drink
– Silver (blanco/white) – Joven (or gold/oro/dorado) – Reposado (or rested) – Añejo (or aged) – Extra Añejo (ultra aged)
Añejos and extra añejos are typically the smoothest tequilas for sipping. Pay special attention to quality. Some recommendations to get you started: Gran Patron, Casamigos Añejo, and Don Julio 1942 Añejo.
The youngest type of tequila is Silver tequila. It’s made of 100% blue agave in its purest form and is rarely aged for more than a few weeks. It’s also known as White, Plata, Platinum, and tequila Blanco.
In order to be classified as a reposado tequila (also known as “rested”), it must be aged in wood casks from two months to a year. Many distilleries age their tequilas in used bourbon barrels to add these flavors to the finished product.
Añejo, or “aged,” tequila rests for at least one year in oak barrels. This causes it to lose its agave characteristics, turn an amber color, and take on the barrel’s flavor. Mmm… bark.