🥃 Tequila joven
Tequila class under NOM-006-SCFI-2012 (joven, oro, Gold for export): a blend of blanco with aged classes, or blanco softened with permitted additives.
Tequila joven (also oro, “golden”) is a tequila class under the Mexican standard NOM-006-SCFI-2012. It is either a blend of blanco with reposado, añejo or extra añejo, or blanco softened with permitted additives, most often caramel colouring. The class sets no minimum ageing. Strength ranges from 35 to 55% ABV.
Abocado. This is the standard's term for softening the taste: adding caramel colouring, natural oak extract, glycerine or sugar syrup. Together they may make up no more than 1% of the tequila's weight before bottling. If the tequila contains sweeteners, colourings or flavourings, its sugar content may not exceed 75 g per litre. The standard does not allow classes to be blended “cold”.
What is in the bottle. Difford's Guide writes that joven is usually an unaged tequila to which caramel has given a golden colour. VinePair advises looking at the category: many “golden” tequilas are “Tequila” with 51% agave sugars rather than “100% de agave”. There is also joven made from 100% agave, blended with aged classes.
Names. Domestically the label says joven or oro; for export the standard allows the name Gold. The class of a blend is set by the standard: blanco with any aged tequila is joven, while a blend of reposado with añejo remains reposado.
Why this matters to you. The golden colour of joven does not prove ageing: it can be blanco with caramel. Only the reposado, añejo or extra añejo classes say anything about time in oak, and only the “100% de agave” mark says anything about the share of agave. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Legal basis | NOM-006-SCFI-2012, item 4.36.2; Gold for export (item 5.2.2) |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | no minimum ageing required |
| Raw material | tequila blanco and aged classes; permitted caramel, oak extract, glycerine, sugar syrup (≤ 1% of weight) |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 35–55% ABV at 20 °C |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Tequila joven → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Blend
- Packed in
- 🍷 Wine label
- Made from
- 🥃 Blue agave
- What it contains
- 🍬 Sugar
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Tequila classes, 🌵 Tequila
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Tequila 100% agave (100% de agave), 🥃 Tequila blanco, 🥃 Tequila blanco, 🥃 Tequila reposado, 🥃 Tequila reposado, 🥃 Tequila añejo, 🥃 Tequila añejo, 🥃 Tequila extra añejo, 🥃 Tequila extra añejo
Frequently asked questions
Is golden tequila always aged in barrels?
Not necessarily. The joven (oro) class is either a blend of blanco with aged tequila, or blanco with caramel or other permitted additives.
What do joven, oro and Gold mean?
They are names of one class: joven means “young”, oro means “golden”; the standard NOM-006 allows Gold for export.
What is abocado in tequila?
Softening of the taste with caramel colouring, oak extract, glycerine or sugar syrup, together no more than 1% of the weight before bottling.
Is there joven made from 100% agave?
Yes. Class and category are independent: joven can be either “Tequila” (from 51% agave sugars) or “100% de agave”.
What class results from blending blanco with añejo?
Under the standard, a blend of blanco with any aged tequila belongs to this class: joven (oro).
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Wine label — The sticker on a bottle: who made it, where from, the year and strength.
- 🥃 Blue agave — Agave tequilana Weber, azul variety, is the only agave for tequila: category "Tequila" needs ≥ 51% of sugars from it, "100% de agave" all of them.
- 🥃 Tequila 100% agave (100% de agave) — Tequila made only from sugars of blue agave from the area of origin, unlike the “Tequila” category, where other sugars may make up to 49%.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
Similar
🥃 Tequila blanco · 🥃 Tequila añejo · 🥃 Tequila extra añejo · 🥃 Tequila reposado · 🥃 Tequila classes · 🥃 Mezcal with worm (con gusano)
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- NOM-006-SCFI-2012, Bebidas alcohólicas — Tequila — Especificaciones (DOF 13.12.2012): 4.1 abocado (caramel colour, natural oak extract, glycerine, sugar syrup); 4.36.1–4.36.5 classes blanco/plata, joven/oro, reposado (≥ 2 months, direct contact with oak), añejo (≥ 1 year, ≤ 600 l), extra añejo (≥ 3 years, ≤ 600 l); mixing rules; 5.2.2 export names Silver, Gold, Aged, Extra aged, Ultra aged; 6.1.1 35–55 % vol.; 6.1.1.1 abocantes ≤ 1 % of weight; ≤ 75 g/l sugars with additives
- Difford's Guide: Tequila classifications — blanco 0–59 days, joven/oro usually unaged with caramel, reposado from 60 days (term introduced 1968), añejo from one year in casks up to 600 l, extra añejo from three years (introduced March 2006), cristalino (2011), mixto ≥ 51 % agave sugars
- VinePair (25.02.2022): A Guide to the 5 Different Types of Tequila (and Cristalino) — flavour and use of each class; reposado 2–12 months, often ex-American whiskey barrels, pipones up to 10,000 l; añejo 1–3 years, often 200 l ex-bourbon; extra añejo recognised 2006; cristalino not a CRT category
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)