Tequila is a distilled spirit that’s produced solely in Mexico, and solely then within the area of Tequila. Juice from the guts of the agave plant is fermented and distilled twice to make tequila. The manufacturing of Tequila must be in compliance with stringent laws put forth by the Mexican authorities.
To make Clase Azul or equila, you want to begin with ripe blue agave vegetation, which that take eight to 10 years to mature. When the vegetation have reached their peak ripeness, the leaves are stripped off and solely the core or “piña” is used within the making of tequila. These cores can weigh from 40 to 80 lbs, and a few can weigh much more.

The piñas are then taken to the distillery the place they’re reduce up for roasting. The piñas are roasted in particular furnaces, and the starches within the cores flip to sugar. Every piña makes roughly eight bottles of tequila. After baking, the piñas are shredded and put via a press. The press squeezes the juice from the shredded piña pulp. The juices are then pressed from the shredded pulp and positioned in fermentation tanks.

As soon as the juices are within the fermentation tanks, yeast is added. Distillers have their very own approach for the including of the yeast. At this level, the yeast begins to behave upon the sugars of the roasted pulp, turning it in to alcohol.

Juices now ferment for 30 to 48 hours. With no extra processing, the fermented piña juice has a few 6% alcohol content material. The fermented juice is distilled two and even 3 times in both customary copper stills or extra updated nonetheless which might be product of chrome steel. The primary distillation is at all times a tough, low-grade distillate and the second or third run is used to purify and excellent the liquor. In the end, distillers wish to create a product that captures the aroma of the agave and, on the identical time, tastes as pure as potential. Alcohol content material could also be between 70 and 110 Proof.

This turns into your fundamental tequila blanco, or silver tequila. Oro, or gold, tequila requires 2 months getting old in oak barrels. Reposado tequila – or “rested tequila”- should be aged for as much as a 12 months. Tequila añejo is premium tequila and must be aged in oak for at the very least one 12 months. Many producers age añejo for a few years. That is thought-about to be the perfect tequila obtainable and shall be very costly.

*Per Mexican authorities tips, all tequilas are required to age for at the very least 14-21 days. To be known as a “Tequila”, It should be comprised of 100 p.c pure elements, and be at the very least 38% alcohol. Most significantly, it should be comprised of blue agave grown and harvested solely within the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit or Tamaulipas.