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Fun Facts You Might Not Have Known About Tequila

Calling all tequila and mezcal lovers and connoisseurs! Come onboard a beautiful Waterways yacht to spend time with multi-generational tequila and mezcal producers in an intimate setting on the water for an agave tasting unlike you’ve ever experienced before. During the 2.5-hour cruise on Lake Union and Lake Washington, you’ll get to mingle with the distillers and learn about the history of each spirit and its journey from agave field to cocktail glass. In honor of our special agave tasting on the water, here are a few fun facts you might not have known about tequila.

Did you know tequila drinkers in Mexico prefer to sip and savor their tequila neat like whiskey as opposed to taking it back as a shot with salt and a lime? Most people don’t realize there are multiple types of tequila. The biggest difference between each type of tequila is how old it is and how long it’s been aged in an oak barrel.  Just like with a fine whiskey, the older a tequila is, the longer it has to absorb the flavors from the oak barrel and the darker it becomes.

There are four different types of tequila – blanco, jovan, reposado, anejo and extra anejo. Blanco tequila is anywhere from 0 to two months old, with it usually being bottled right after distillation. Aged tequilas such as reposados, jovans, anejos, and extra anjeos are generally referred to as “sipping tequilas” because they’re aged and have much more flavor than a blanco tequila. Reposado tequila is aged between 2-12 months in an oak barrel. Jovan tequila is a mixture of a blanco and reposado tequila. Anejo tequila is aged between 1-3 years in an oak barrel and extra anejo tequila is aged for three years or more.

Do you know the difference between tequila and mezcal? For starters, all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. It’s all about the agave. Mezcal can be made from over 30 varieties of agave, but tequila can only be made from the blue agave plant. Tequila is made from distilling the fermentation of blue agave plants and for it to be officially recognized as tequila, the spirit must contain at least 51% blue agave.

Another fun fact about tequila is that it must come from a place called Tequila in Mexico. By current Mexican law, anything that advertises itself as tequila must come from Tequila, Jalisco, a state in Central Mexico.

Interested in learning more about tequila and mezcal? Join us for this fun and special evening on the water on September 26th with distillers from Don Fulano Tequila, Tequila Arette, Pasote Tequila and Bozal Mezcal. Learn about the history of these award-winning Mexican artisanal spirits while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres crafted by our Executive Chef. Check out our Agave Tasting Cruise event page for more information on how you can save your spot on the boat.

Seattle Cruise