Ultimate Tequila Guide: Official Categories & the Misfit Styles (Cristalino, Rosa, High‑Proof)

[00:00:00] Most people think tequila comes in three flavors, blanco, reposado and anejo. Simple, right? That's like saying music only has country, rock and rap. There's a lot more to the story. Some bottles don't even fit into an official category. Today we're going to break down the when, the who and the how of tequila category. Plus some of the wild cards like Crystalinos and Rosas, high proof tequilas. And I promise we'll have a little fun along the way. Why tequila categories exist. Here's some quick context. The crt, the concierge regulator de tequila set the rules to protect tequila's identity. The NOM standards Norma Aficiona Mexicana give the legal definition. Think of categories as a way to set expectations for aging and style. Otherwise an anejo could be a one month old imposter in a fake mustache. Let's break these down for you. I one of my favorite brands here with some great tequila blanco means it's aged from zero to two months. Pure agave, like tequila in its birthday suit. Cooked agave, citrus, pepper, some hints of herbal and vegetal and minerality. Nothing to hide in the wonderful Bor Blanco. Now let's go number two. Rested for two to 12 months. It's the training wheels of aging. It's a little smoother. A little bit of hints of vanilla, some spice. Spice. It's a tequila that's saying, hey look, I am sophisticated, but I'm not too serious. And then let's dive into the anje. Now we're talking about full personality. It's darker, it's smoother, it's got more caramel, it's got a lot more oak. It's basically a sipping tequila you never waste on shots. But when you're talking about good clean tequilas like these, they're all sipping tequilas and if aged right, still agave forward, you still taste what the essence of tequila is. Let's go one more category. Let's talk about extra. On Yahoo. I'm pulling out the matty single barrel Elito tequila. This would be considered the grandparent of tequila. It's rich, it's elegant, it's got a lot more of that oaky barrel flavor. But if the agave is done right in it, it still has a great flavor, sometimes more expensive. All right, now let's talk about some of the really unofficial rebels. This is where tequila gets creative and sometimes controversial. Let's start with this one. Tequila Crystallino. It's an aged tequila that gets charcoal filtered until it looks like a blanco. Again, some say it's cheating, others love it. Think of it as tequila with an Instagram filter. [00:02:41] Little smooth, little clean, little flashy. Right? Let's pull out another one. Let's talk about Rosas. Right? This is the new Yayo Rosa, aged in wine barrels for that pink color. It's not in the rule book, but it's tequila dressed up with a bunch of fruity, floral and very Instagrammable flavors. And I'll tell you, this thing right here is amazing. And let's dig into one of my favorites, High Proofs and still strengths. Most tequilas are bottled, watered down at 40 ABV. [00:03:12] High proof tequila is its bold cousin, 46 50. Even as high as 55. It's raw, it's intense. It lets you taste tequila the way the master distiller tasted it, straight off the still, some of my favorite bot in these categories I've reviewed right here on this channel, so if you want recommendations for those, check it out after the video. Categories are a helpful map, but the beauty of tequila is in exploring all of its styles. Maybe you'll love the purity of a blanco, the balancedness of a repo, or the depth of an Anejo. Or maybe even step outside the rules and grab a Crystalino or a Rosa. Maybe even a high proof. Let me know in the comments. Are you Team Classic categories or Team Misfit tequilas? And don't forget, I've got interviews with master distillers who actually make these bottles, so subscribe if you want to hear about the next one. Salute. Thanks for watching.