Añejo, Extra Añejo & Cristalino Tequilas

To be classified as añejo, a tequila must spend between one to three years in the barrel. Those casks can be built of anything, but they can’t be larger than 600 liters in size. The liquid that pours out after aging typically wears a caramel hue. It's often sweeter in substance than its younger counterparts, introducing vanilla, cinnamon, and other elements of the spice rack.

Although it encompasses the oldest of liquids, extra añejo (or XA, for short) is actually the newest designation of tequila. It was made standard in 2006 and applies to any tequila that ages for a minimum of three years in barrels no larger than 600 liters in size. These sophisticated sippers usually come at a premium; some of the most expensive agave spirits on the market today wear an XA label.

Cristalino is the only category not officially recognized by tequila’s governing body, the CRT. As such, there are mere guidelines - as opposed to hard rules - as to what qualifies as an example. But it's most often come to mean an añejo or extra añejo tequila, which then undergoes charcoal filtration in order to strip the color of the aged spirit. What goes into the bottle is a crystal-clear tequila that still retains some of the sweeter barrel notes inherent to cask maturation.