The Alcohol content of tequila is heavily regulated by the industry.
All tequilas have to fall into the range between 35% and 55% alcohol by volume or 70 proof and 110 proof. As per the regulation, the bottles have to state their abv, however the proof is only optional.
Calculating proof from abv is simple, just double the abv value and you will get to the proof value of tequila.
So if next time someone is telling you he’s got a 70% abv tequila at his place, you should be able to tell that it is not tequila, unless he wrongly quoted the 70% being proof instead.
In my situation when someone told me he had a 70% abv bottle, it was a guest of mine form a tasting and he was from Europe and fortunately it was just him not remembering exactly of the proper alcohol content of his tequila and he was kind enough to send me a message that I was correct and his tequila indeed had 55% abv only.
Regardless, memorizing the alcohol range can help you spot fake tequila producers. Some may even go as far as putting a fake producer ID or NOM number on the bottle, but they can easily make a mistake by producing a low alcohol content (28-34% abv) product and even stating it on the label.
The net quantity is another important thing to look at - it may not be an issue most of the time, however it will give you yet another tool to identify tequilas correctly.
First, the net content has to be stated in mL or L. If the net content is not on the label for some reason, the product is not a tequila. Second, there is a maximum limit of 5L for a tequila bottle. The normal size for tequila bottles is typically 700mL for Europe and 750mL for the rest of the world, however it really comes in many different sizes, there are miniatures and big bottles around too.
This feature is brought to you by Tequila Stop and the International Tequila Academy.
Tequila Stop aims to share is love for Mexico and its beloved Spirit with fans in Asia Pacific, bringing fans the best that Tequila has to offer, through an extensive catalogue of premium Tequilas and Mezcals straight from the source. Tequila Stop works closely with Mezcaleros across Mexico, and is also partners with the International Tequila Academy.
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