We explain that what is the difference between anejo and reposado with table. the difference between Anejo and Reposado is that Añejo ages longer than Reposado. The annex is aged between one year and three years, while the Reposado is only aged from two months to a year.
Tequila was born in the 16th century. It is a fermented drink from the agave pineapple plant. The place where Tequila was first made is now known as the city of Tequila, Mexico. It was first produced on a large scale by Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle in Jalisco.
This indigenous drink was first exported to the United States by Don Cenobio Sauza, who founded Tequila Sauza. Then, the Mexican government declared Tequila as its intellectual property in 1974. Now there are more than 2000 brands around the world that produce Tequila. The original tequila from the agave plant was mandated never to be flavored, unlike the other flavored tequilas available.
Anejo, literally, means stale or stale. In 2006, ultra-aged tequila was introduced. The annex usually ages between one and three years. It is kept in small barrels, which are from whiskey or bourbon distilleries. It is darker in color.
On the other hand, Reposado means rested. This type of tequila is generally aged between two months and a year. It is stored in oak barrels preferred from Canada and France. These are also stored in barrels with a capacity of twenty thousand liters.
Comparison table between Anejo and Reposado (in tabular form)
Comparison parameters Anejo Reposado
| Sense | The word Anejo means vintage / old in Spanish. | The word Reposado means rested in Spanish. |
| Colour | It is brownish in color. | It is slightly yellow in color compared to the annex. |
| Years | The minimum time that Añejo ages in one year and the maximum is three years. | The minimum aging period for Reposado is two months and the maximum is one year. |
| Storage | It is usually kept in small barrels. The maximum quantity of these barrels is 600 liters. | Reposado can be kept in all barrel sizes. These are even kept in barrels with a capacity of 20,000 liters. |
| Taste | The annex has a more complex flavor. This is because it ages for a longer time. | The reposado has a kind of oaky flavor. |
What is Anejo?
Anejo is the Spanish word for antique or vintage. Like its name, it ages for a long time. The process of making tequila is long. Tequila is made from the agave plant. First, the agave pineapple is crushed so that the sugar can be extracted from the fibers.
At the end of the extraction process, a solution of water and extracted agave sugar is obtained. This solution is then cooked to convert it into fermentable sugars. This is done through the hydrolysis process. This process takes about six hours and converts the complex sugar known as inulin into fructose and glucose.
Subsequently, anaerobic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. It also includes a mix of nutrients and yeast. This is followed by the distillation process in which the water is removed from the fermented agave juice. In the second round, you get Tequila.
This liquid is filtered to make sure there are no particles. Now, this is known as Silver Tequila, which has the most natural flavors and is clear, that is, it has no color. The annex, on the other hand, is brown. This is because once the tequila is obtained, it goes through an aging process. The annex is kept from one to three years for its aging, which gives it a very complex flavor.
What is Reposado?
Reposado is the Spanish word for reposado. Unlike Anejo, it is kept for rearing for a shorter period, preferably from about two months to a year. For the aging process, Tequila is matured by storing it in barrels for some time.
The aging process allows Tequila to absorb the complex components of the wood, which give Tequila its smell and flavor. The reaction of tequila with wooden barrels also causes the formation of new compounds and oxidation.
For Reposado, the tequila is stored in oak barrels or casks. There is no limit to the storage capacity of Reposado, unlike Anejo, which must only be stored in barrels with a maximum capacity of six hundred liters. Therefore, it is usually stored in barrels of about 20,000 liters capacity. Being stored in oak barrels, it has a mild oak flavor, and being kept for a shorter aging time, its color is slightly yellowish.
Main differences between anejo and reposado
- Anejo means stale or stale. Instead, Reposado means rested.
- The annex is aged between one year and three years, while the Reposado is only aged from two months to a year.
- The annex is stored in smaller barrels for aging. These have a capacity of around six hundred liters. On the other hand, Reposado is stored in barrels of all sizes, even twenty thousand liters.
- Anejo is dark brown in color compared to Reposado. The latter has a yellowish color.
- The anejo has a complex flavor compared to the reposado, since it ages for a longer time. On the other hand, Reposado has a mild oak flavor.
Final Thought
There are two types of tequila. One that has one hundred percent agave plant extract. Another that has added flavors. According to the regulations, the agave extract in the latter should not be less than fifty-one percent. Under these categories, this drink is divided into five types.
White tequila is clear and also known as silver tequila. It does not age and is packaged directly after distillation. It is also the purest form of Tequila with the real flavors of the agave as it is not aged.
Joven means young in Spanish. The young tequila is known as the golden tequila. It is given this name for its color, which it acquires from flavoring agents.
The reposado tequila is aged in oak barrels, which is regulated by the Mexican government. It has a minimum aging of two months and a maximum of one year. It is also golden in color. Anejo tequila is aged between one and three years. The Mexican government restricted the Añejo from only being kept in quantities of around 600 liters. It has another variation called Extra Añejo tequila, which is aged for the longest duration than all other types.
