Types of Tequila: Blanco, Reposado, Añejo and Extra Añejo

Walk into any spirits shop and the tequila shelf can look confusing: silver, rested, aged, extra aged, crystal clear. Most of those words come from the rules set by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT), the body that regulates tequila in Mexico. Once you know them, a label tells you what is in the bottle, roughly how it will taste, and why one tequila costs £30 and another £300.

In this guide:

1. The types of tequila at a glance

2. The two categories: 100% agave and tequila

3. The four types of tequila

4. Other styles you will see: cristalino, curados and “additive-free”

5. How long is tequila aged?

6. Blanco vs reposado vs añejo

7. How to read a tequila label

8. Which type of tequila should you buy?

9. Why ageing matters for value
   
   

The types of tequila at a glance

🔑 Types of tequila: key facts

• 4 types: blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo, defined by time in oak under the rules of Mexico’s tequila regulator, the CRT.

• 2 categories: 100% agave, or “tequila”, which can use up to 49% other sugars.

• 600 litres: the largest barrel allowed for añejo and extra añejo.

• 2006: the year extra añejo became an official class.

Sources: CRT tequila classification; Difford’s Guide; Australian Bartender (4 November 2019). Checked 30 October 2026. Taste notes are typical, not rules.

The two categories: 100% agave and tequila

Before the age on the label, there is a more basic split. The CRT recognises two categories of tequila, based on where the sugar comes from:

• 100% agave (100% de agave): every fermentable sugar comes from Blue Weber agave (Agave tequilana Weber, blue variety). It must be bottled by an authorised producer inside the protected tequila region.

• Tequila: at least 51% of the sugars must come from Blue Weber agave. Up to 49% can come from other sugars added before fermentation, usually cane sugar. This is often called “mixto”, although that word doesn’t appear on labels. It may be bottled outside Mexico.

The minimum agave share has changed over time. According to Difford’s Guide, tequila had to be 100% agave in 1949, 70% from 1964 and 51% from 1970.

Either category can be sold in any of the four types below. Almost all premium and aged tequila is 100% agave, and the share is rising: 74.1% of tequila produced in the first seven months of 2026 was 100% agave, above every full year on record (Tequila Reserve analysis of CRT statistics).

The four types of tequila

The class tells you how long the tequila has aged. Here is each one, from youngest to oldest.

Blanco (silver or plata)

Blanco is tequila as it comes from the still, cut to bottling strength with water. It can rest in oak for up to two months, but most is bottled straight away. Since the current tequila standard, NOM-006-SCFI-2012, came into force in 2013, blancos may contain nothing but water after distillation (Experience Agave). Blanco shows the agave most clearly: peppery, herbal, citrus and cooked-agave sweetness.

Reposado

Reposado means “rested”. It must spend at least two months in oak barrels or larger oak vats, and in practice many are bottled at under a year. The oak rounds off blanco’s sharper edges and adds light vanilla and spice while keeping the agave up front. We explain how it is made, how long it is aged and how it compares in our reposado tequila guide.

Añejo

Añejo means “aged” or “old”. It must mature for at least one year in oak barrels holding no more than 600 litres. The small barrels mean more contact between liquid and wood, so añejo is darker and richer: caramel, dried fruit, baking spice and toasted oak. We explain how it is made and how it compares in our guide to añejo tequila.

Extra añejo

Extra añejo, or “extra aged”, must spend at least three years in oak barrels of 600 litres or less. It became an official class in 2006, which makes it the youngest class even though it holds the oldest tequila. It is the rarest and most expensive type, with a profile that can sit closer to cognac or aged whisky than to blanco. Our extra añejo tequila guide covers it in depth.

One labelling rule applies to all aged classes: a blend takes the class of its youngest tequila. Mix a one-year añejo with a five-year extra añejo and the result can only be called añejo (Australian Bartender).

Other styles you will see: cristalino, curados and “additive-free”

Some words on tequila labels are styles or marketing terms rather than official classes.

• Cristalino: an aged tequila, usually añejo or extra añejo, that has been charcoal-filtered to remove the colour. The style took off after Don Julio 70 launched in 2011 (Difford’s Guide). Filtering softens the flavour as well as the colour, and the label still states the underlying class.

• Curados: tequilas flavoured with fruit or other natural ingredients. The CRT added the category in 2006; curados need at least 25% agave spirit (Difford’s Guide).

• “Additive-free”: the tequila rules allow four additives, called abocantes, in every class except blanco: caramel colour, natural oak extract, glycerin and sugar-based syrup (CRT). Many sources put the limit at 1% of the total, though the wording of the rules is disputed (The Daily Pour, January 2025). There is no official “additive-free” class, and producers can no longer label their tequila that way, so treat the claim as a brand statement rather than a regulated term.

How long is tequila aged?

Tequila is aged for anything from zero days to well over a decade, depending on the class. The CRT sets the minimum for each class, but not a maximum.

Sources: CRT; Difford’s Guide. Common ranges from the classes’ definitions: a tequila aged past one year qualifies as añejo, and past three years as extra añejo.

Extra añejo producers may not put an age statement on the main label, unlike Scotch whisky (Australian Bartender), so the exact age of an older bottle often comes from the brand’s own information. The very oldest bottles show how far this can go: Fuenteseca Reserva sells a 21-year-old extra añejo, one of the bottles in our guide to the most expensive tequila in the world.

Ageing is slow partly because the raw material is slow. Blue Weber agave takes 6 to 8 years to mature before it can be harvested, so a ten-year-old extra añejo represents well over 15 years from planting to bottle.

Blanco vs reposado vs añejo

These three cover most of what is on the shelf, and the differences come down to time in oak.

Prices: Tequila Reserve analysis of Don Julio listing prices, 750ml. Flavour notes are typical, not rules.

Reposado vs añejo

The legal line between them is one year in oak. A reposado keeps the agave as the main flavour, with oak in support; an añejo reverses that balance, with oak, caramel and dried fruit leading. Añejo must also use barrels of 600 litres or less, while reposado can be rested in larger vats. If you like bourbon or aged rum, añejo is usually the easier introduction; if you want to taste the agave, start with a reposado.

Añejo vs extra añejo

Two extra years in oak make a big difference to flavour and price. Don Julio’s extra añejo lists at £285 against £112 for its añejo, a 2.5× step (Tequila Reserve analysis). We explain why in why extra añejo is different.

How to read a tequila label

Three details on a tequila label tell you most of what you need to know:

1. “100% de agave” or not. If the label doesn’t say 100% agave, the tequila can contain up to 49% other sugars.

2. The class. Blanco, reposado, añejo or extra añejo tells you the minimum time in oak.

3. The NOM number. The four-digit NOM identifies the distillery that made the tequila. Brands with the same NOM come from the same distillery (Boozemakers).

Production details, such as whether the agave was cooked in a traditional brick oven or extracted in an industrial diffuser, are rarely on the label. Brands that use slower methods usually say so on their websites.

Which type of tequila should you buy?

Whatever the type, choosing 100% agave is the simplest way to trade up in quality.

Why ageing matters for value

The classes are also a price ladder. Each step up needs more time in oak, ties up a producer’s stock for longer, and leaves fewer bottles after evaporation. Tequila Reserve’s analysis of secondary-market prices across all brands found median bottle prices of:

• Blanco: £41

• Reposado: £81

• Añejo: £147

• Extra añejo: £259

Critics follow the same pattern. In reviews from Wine Enthusiast, Tastings.com, Guía Peñín and Falstaff, extra añejo averaged 95.0 points, against 90.2 for blanco, 90.6 for reposado and 91.5 for añejo (Tequila Reserve analysis; extra añejo is based on nine reviews). We look at what drives those prices in more depth in premium and luxury tequila.

Because the value is added in the barrel, and the ageing stops once tequila is bottled, some collectors now own tequila while it is still ageing. Tequila Reserve by WineFi offers multiple tequila barrel investment programmes. Barrel prices range from £1,000 to £6,000, depending on the production method, the age of the tequila and the distillery, and the recommended hold is three years so that the tequila can mature into extra añejo. The barrels are held in a CRT-authorised warehouse in Mexico, each with its own CRT serial number. Our guide to how tequila barrel investment works explains the process.

A barrel is a long-term, illiquid holding. It is not an FCA-regulated investment, values can fall as well as rise, and there is no guarantee of a buyer or a price when you want to sell. Some liquid also evaporates as it ages. Read the risks of investing in tequila barrels before deciding, and take independent advice.

FAQs about the types of tequila

What are the 4 types of tequila?

The four main types are blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo. They are defined by Mexico’s tequila regulator, the CRT, mainly by how long the tequila ages in oak, from none for blanco to at least three years for extra añejo.

What is the difference between reposado and añejo tequila?

Reposado must age in oak for at least two months; añejo for at least one year, in barrels of 600 litres or less. Reposado keeps the agave flavour up front, while añejo is darker and richer, with more caramel, dried fruit and oak.

How long is tequila aged?

Blanco is unaged or rested for under two months, reposado for at least two months, añejo for at least one year and extra añejo for at least three years. There is no maximum, and a few extra añejos are aged for more than 20 years.

What is the smoothest type of tequila?

Aged tequilas, especially añejo and extra añejo, usually taste smoothest, because time in oak softens the spirit and adds sweetness. Cristalinos are also marketed as smooth. Smoothness is personal, though, and a well-made 100% agave blanco can be very gentle.

Is cristalino a type of tequila?

Not an official one. Cristalino is a style: an aged tequila, usually añejo or extra añejo, that has been filtered to remove its colour. The label still shows its official class.

What is the difference between 100% agave and mixto tequila?

100% agave tequila is made only from Blue Weber agave sugars. “Tequila” without that wording, often called mixto, needs only 51% agave sugars, and the rest can be other sugars such as cane sugar. Premium and aged tequilas are almost always 100% agave.