How to Read a Tequila Bottle

Tequila labels are like a book, if books were written one sentence at a time, and each chapter was randomly distributed somewhere on a three-dimensional object. 

Indeed, like fingerprints, no two tequila labels are the same. That variety can make it a little tricky to find information you might seek. But while the design and layout of each label varies significantly, the legally-required information is present every time.

G4. Siete Leguas. Sauza. Don Julio. Whatever the official name - as registered by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) in Mexico, and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in the United States? That’s the name that has to be on the label.

Curent CRT regulations stipulate that all tequila must be one of five defined classifications. These are:

This classification must be present on the label.

Note that “cristalino” and “rosa” are often seen on labels too, but are not official classifications. They are allowable marketing designations meaning approximately “filtered tequila” and “aged in wine barrels” respectively.

The CRT is a quasi-governmental group established and overseen by tequila producers to create and maintain regulations for the manufacture and exportation of tequila.

The current CRT regulations allow for two categories of tequila:

If the 100% designation isn’t on the label, it will only read “tequila” which means the spirit contains at used to produce alcohol. These could be cane sugars, brown sugars, or other sugars. least 51% agave, but can include other sugars

If the label reads “100% agave” or “100% blue weber agave” or “100% puro agave” or “100% agave azul” or similar, it means the sugars used to create alcohol were completely derived from the blue Weber agave plant.

While “tequila” vs. “100% agave tequila” isn’t a quality designator necessarily, most very inexpensive bottles are simply “tequila” since it’s cheaper to use non-agave sugar sources.

The category must be present on the label.

Required for all tequila categories and classifications, alcohol by volume (ABV) will always be found on the label.

All tequila must be bottled at between 35% and 55% ABV (70 to 110 proof). In the United States, unflavored distilled spirits must be at least 40% ABV (80 proof).

This is why, in Mexico, you might see your favorite tequilas sold at 38% ABV, with the United States export version at 40%.

With the growing interest in higher proof tequilas, particularly blancos, some brands are displaying this ABV designation in bigger and bolder fonts and more prominent locations on their bottle labels.

Required for all products in Mexico is an indication of size/volume of contents.

Most tequila is packaged in 750ml bottles. Some, however, come in 700ml sizes, which is the standard in Europe.

A few brands, like Tears of Llorona, mostly make 1 liter bottles.

And of course, there are instances where tequila is sold in the massive 1.75 liter format, or conversely 50 ml “airplane” or “mini” bottles.

The distillery in Mexico where the tequila was made (or at least bottled) must be on the label.

“Hecho in Mexico” or similar will be present on every tequila label.

This is simply a reinforcement of fact, because all tequila must be made in Mexico. In some cases, tequila can be bottled in other countries, but its manufacture is allowable only in five Mexican states, with the vast majority of tequila coming from the state of Jalisco.

Each distillery has its own, four-digit NOM number. This is the Norma Oficial Mexicana and is assigned to manufacturers of all kinds of goods in Mexico.

The NOM numbers for tequila distilleries start at 1000 and work upwards as new distilleries are created and approved for production. So, a distillery like NOM 1068 Agroindustria Guadalajara - where LaPulga is made - has been operating longer than NOM 1609 Diageo México - where Casamigos is made.

Many distilleries make more than one brand. The flavors will vary based on fermentation, agave, yeast, distillation processes, aging and more. But, most distilleries do have a “house style” or at least a baseline quality level.

So the handy element of the NOM number is that if you like a particular tequila such as Atanasio from NOM 1599, you are probably going to also enjoy Valor from the same distillery.

(All our reviews at The Tequila Report show you this NOM number for easy reference. For a more comprehensive data set, visit our friends at AgaveMatchmaker)

For tequila exported to the United States, the label must also include information about the company that imports the tequila. Our sample bottle from Entremanos is a Mexican release, so no importer is listed there.

Those are the nine key components required to be present on a tequila label.

There’s a lot of other information that MIGHT be there, based on what the brand wants to communicate about its production process, and what regulators will allow.

For example, certain brands will talk about where the agave for the tequila is grown. Others will discuss yeast strains, aging techniques, or batch numbers. Some tequila companies emphasize their tequila is Organic - which is atypical - or that the beverage is gluten-free or “premium”.

This unofficial language is marketing, and varies tremendously from brand-to-brand.

Just because a label doesn’t say “gluten-free” or “premium” doesn’t mean it’s liquid sourdough or mediocre in any way. Instead, that particular brand either doesn’t choose to differentiate on that point, or wasn’t successful in getting regulators to approve similar language on their labels. (Which unofficial terms are allowed on labels tends to vary considerably, making this part of the production process a bit of marketing whac-a-mole).

Like reading cereal boxes as a kid, reading tequila bottles as an adult can be a fun way to learn more about what you’re drinking. So start paying closer attention in stores and at home.