Why is golden tequila more expensive than the other types of tequila?

Question

I tried some the other night...and thought it was kinda gross

Answer 1

It depends if you are talking about real tequila (100% agave) or tekilla (51% agave- ie Cuervo or Sauza). For the tekilla, the color is literally food coloring just to make it different looking and possibly more appealing to people (some people don't like clear alcohols).

For the good stuff, the amber coloring comes from aging in oak barrels. 100% agave tequila is broken down into 3 types-

Blanco: generally clear, blanco tequila is aged from 0-60 days in oak barrels, depending on the producer. Blanco tequila is good for mixing drinks like margaritas

Reposado: Blanco tequila that is aged 2-11 months in oak barrels. Reposado tequilas begin to take on the characteristics of the oak barrels, similar to the way scotch does. The reason that you need to age it for only a short time is that the temp. in Mexico is high enough to speed up the process (as compared to scotch which is aged at least 12yrs).

Anejo: The best of the three, anejo tequilas age from 1-2 yrs (or longer) in oak barrels. They are generally not used for mixing but for sipping.


If you tried a good tequila (ie anejo or reposado) and didn't like it, your palate probably isn't mature enough to enjoy it. If it was the bottom shelf junk, then it will taste gross

Answer 2

A Reposado Tequila is the first stage of "rested and aged". The Tequila is aged in wood barrels or storage tanks between 2 months and 11 months. The spirit takes on a golden hue and the taste becomes a good balance between the Agave and wood flavors. Many different types of wood barrels are used for aging, with the most common being American or French oak. Some Tequilas are aged in used bourbon / whiskey, cognac, or wine barrels, and will inherit unique flavors from the previous spirit.

Answer 3

There are three types of tequila;

Blanco which is also known as "white" tequila is only briefly aged in stainless steel, with the primary flavors coming directly from the distillate.

Reposado which is aged up to 6 months in a second fill American oak Bourbon barrel. You derive flavors fron the char of the barrel along with the distillate. There is some evaporation.

Anejo is the third and last designation. It is aged more than 6 months in second fill bourbon barrels. Most of the flavors come from the char of the barrel and the vanilla characters of the oak itself. Since it has to age you lose more to evaporation which increases the value of the left over spirit.

Answer 4

golden tequila is generally aged longer than silver tequila

Answer 5

the making process is more expensive and they don't get as much tequila from each agave plant.

Answer 6

There always has to be a more expensive one for the idiots that are into status.

Answer 7

Good question. Please email me if you get a good/right answer.

Some alcohols just add coloring to their beverage to... well color it.
Some are aged in barrels (old wine or bourbon I believe) which impart the golden color to the Tekilla.