'There is a balance to the wood and toast for me that makes all things sing.” “An añejo, for me, needs to have spice, mouthfeel and layers of character you can only get with time and age in a barrel,' he says. Steve Reynolds, co-founder of Penta Tequila, agrees. Pande finds that añejo tequilas tend to be smoother than their counterparts, thanks to their one to three years of barrel aging. 'Añejo translates to aged or matured tequila, and aging is done in oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months, which imparts a lot of flavors to the spirit,” says Suyash Pande, head bartender at New York’s Baar Baar.
Añejo tequilas spend one to three years in oak, which gives them their signature richness and texture.
They clock in at 40% ABV and are found in all different price categories, from $20(ish) all the way into the multiple hundreds. Añejo tequilas are great for sipping solo or mixing into cocktails.
