How it's Made: From Agave to Bottle

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Joven tequila starts with the heart of the agave plant, known as the "piña." These plants are grown in the rich soils of regions designated by Mexican law, primarily in Jalisco. It takes between 6 to 12 years for the agave to mature before harvest. Harvesters, known as "jimadores," expertly trim the leaves of the plant, leaving only the core, which contains the sugars necessary for fermentation.

Once harvested, the piñas are transported to distilleries where they are cut into halves or quarters for cooking. The traditional method involves slow-cooking them in brick ovens or large steam ovens called "autoclaves." This process caramelizes the sugars, creating a rich, sweet base for fermentation.

The cooked agave is then crushed to extract the sweet agave juice, which is transferred to fermentation tanks. Here, yeast is added, and the conversion of sugars into alcohol begins. This fermentation process can last anywhere from 48 hours to several days, depending on the distillery's specific methods and the desired flavor profile.

The fermented agave juice, now called "mosto," is distilled to increase the alcohol content and purify the flavors. Joven tequila is typically distilled twice in pot stills or column stills. The first distillation, known as "ordinario," and the second, known as "rectification," help refine the tequila to a clear and clean spirit.

For some joven tequilas, part of the distilled spirit may be aged in barrels. While traditional joven tequila is primarily unaged, some producers blend their clear spirit with small amounts of reposado or añejo tequilas, which have been aged in oak barrels. This aging imparts subtle flavors and a smoothness that enhances the joven's complexity.

In the final step, the distilled spirit is either bottled directly to preserve its clear, vibrant character or blended with aged tequilas to add depth and richness. This blending is a critical aspect of creating joven tequila, offering a spectrum from bright and crisp to more rounded and nuanced profiles. After blending, the tequila is filtered and bottled, capturing the essence of joven tequila’s youthful and dynamic spirit.