The Truth About the Worm in Tequila (It’s Not What You Think)

[00:00:00] If you think tequila has a worm in it, you're thinking of the wrong spirit. And today, we're going to kill one of the biggest myths in the agave world. No, there's no worm in real tequila. Never has been, never will be. [00:00:14] The worm actually comes from Mezcal, not tequila. Some bottles of Mezcal included a gasano, which is a larvae of a moth that lives in agave plants. But here's the key. It's never been traditional. It was only marketing. In the 40s and 50s, some mezcal producers started adding the worm as a gimmick to attract tourists. It created mystery, it created a shock value, and it worked. But it has had nothing to do with tequila. Real tequila, especially 100% Blue Weber agave tequila from Jalisco is heavily regulated. Tequila is protected under Mexican law and must follow strict production standards. There's only three core ingredients. Blue weber agave, water, and yeast. That's it. No worm, no larvae, no gimmicks. If you ever see a tequila with a worm in it, it's not tequila. I still get this question a lot. Or I get, oh, I can't drink tequila. I got sick on the one with the worm in it. You know, pulp culture just doesn't let it die. Movies, spring break stories, college legends. Some people even believe that the worm makes you hallucinate. The worm proves that it's strong. [00:01:24] The worm gets you more drunk. None of that is true. It's just a preserved larvae sitting in alcohol, and that's it. Now, someone who's been to Alisco, walked agave fields, interviewed master distillers, and reviewed tons of tequilas from multiple noms. I can confidently tell you tequila producers would never put a worm in their product. It would just damage the category's reputation. Tequila is sophisticated, very complex, and is meant to be drank in a nice glass, like this fancy wine glass. The worm is most commonly used in mezcal. It's called a gasano rojo. It feeds on agave plants, but it's not part of tequila production. Totally different spirit, totally different category. So next time, if somebody asks you, hey, where's the worm in your tequila? You can smile, educate them. And if you want more tequila education, hit that like and subscribe button, because I love solving these mysteries and myths. And there's more to come. Thanks for watching. Know what you're drinking. Cheers.