Tequila has become one of Australia’s favourite spirits in recent years. This smooth, heady drink is so wonderfully rich in flavour and history that we couldn’t help but make it a standard part of our market, with people mixing and matching this potent spirit from Melbourne to Perth and all across the Top End.
We love it so much that we now even have Australian made Tequila (although it is more correct to call it “mezcal”, having been made outside of Mexico - we will look into that in a minute!).
If you’ve ever had a question about this most fascinating beverage, we’re here to help you answer it, and so here are a few of your FAQs and answers regarding this delightful drink:
What exactly is it?
It is a particular spirit made within a particular Mexican geographic area, an area in which the soil contains the specific properties to grow the right ingredients to make this most wonderful beverage. The spirit contains locally-grown blue agave nectar, which is harvested, cooked, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled before being marketed around the world!
When did it receive a designation of origin?
Tequila - and not Australian made Tequila - received its designation of origin in 1974. This designation was granted largely in part to the help from Mr. Francisco Javier Sauza, a third generation member of the Sauza family, who travelled abroad and found a beverage that carried its name but was not actually from the region.
He decided to fight for the region’s name to grant the beverage a designation of origin, and this is why you can only call the spirit that is made in the specific region by its famous name.
Which regions belong to the designation?
There are five Mexican states that have the designation: Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Tamaupilas. Within these five states, there are 181 municipalities that carry the designation of origin, with a massive 125 of these regions belonging to the state of Jalisco.
What are the alcohol contents of the drink?
The drink must undergo at least two distillation processes to be commercialised as Tequila. It’s through the distillation process where the ethyl alcohol is produced, and this is the type of alcohol that you need for the production of such a quality beverage.
The bottle must have a minimum and maximum alcohol so that it can be commercialised in the global drinks market. In Mexico itself, the minimum must be 35% ABV and a maximum of 55% ABV. but if the drink is anywhere less or above the minimum or maximum it cannot be placed on the market (it is generally around 35 - 40%!).
Do different products have different alcoholic graduations?
Depending on each label’s profile, the company may carry a different ABV percentage for their product. For bigger companies with many products there must be a difference between spirits as they contain many different spirit profiles the likes of which have to be marketed individually.
Are there different graduations between markets?
The laws of each independent country in which the drink is being marketed will impact its alcoholic graduation. For example, the drink must contain at least a 40% ABV to be marketed in the United States, and cannot receive the title if it does not contain that ABV percentage.
We hope these FAQs have answered any questions you have about this amazing drink, its depth and general wonder!
