Small, Independent, Local
made of matured agaves
Craft seal designed by Andras Berecz.
There are over a thousand registered tequila brands. Consumers struggle when it comes to selecting a tequila that is local, independent, small and of real quality value. The "Craft Tequila" initiative by the International Tequila Academy is to help such consumers recognize qualifying producers by allowing qualifying producers to apply the Craft Tequila Seal on their qualifying tequila labels.
The program bears no cost for the producers - after all this program is designed to be a help, not to be a burden for them. Qualifying producers/brand owners can delegate a person to represent them in the Craft Tequila Comittee of the International Tequila Academy.
Qualifying Criterias
small
The distillery producing the brand has a relatively small production volume.
independent
Distillery and brand both have to be owned by a professional distiller.
local
Distillery owned brand and the owners are residents of Jalisco or other parts of the DOT or the brand is owned by a person who is recognized in the tequila industry for his/her contributions to conserve the traditions of making high quality tequilas.
made of matured agaves
100% agave tequila made properly by matured agaves, allowing clean and complex agave related tasting notes without altering it with abusive production methods and additives.
Details & Explanations (the boring stuff)
Purpose
The goal of the ITA craft seal project is to help small, quality tequila producers distinguish their products from the bigger producers to help consumers make a better choice when looking for a tequila that is professionally considered as a quality product and is produced with great care and understanding with local ownership.
Who
Tequila brands.
As tequila distilleries may operate other brands where some of the criterias are not met, the craft seal is only applicable for specific brands. This way contract brands from the same distillery do not automatically qualify.
Admittance
International Tequila Academy Members can nominate prospective tequila brands. If all 4 qualifying criterias apply, the brand is put forward to the Craft Tequila Comittee, where Committee Members can discuss and have the right to veto the brand’s application. Every veto has to come with an explanation about why the producer disagrees. The explanation has to be based on either the lack of one of the 4 principles or if the admission would damage the reputation of the ITA seal program. In case of a valid veto, a voting will be put forward where a high approval rate of 75% is necessary for admission. In case the admission is not successful, another voting will be held – this time all International Tequila Academy Members get to vote. 75% is required for the vote to be successful. If a brand fails both votes, than it is not eligible for admittance. A feedback will be given to the producer and they can try again 5 years later provided the issues raised by the International Tequila Academy Members had been cleared.
Dismissal
In the event if a brand no longer meets one of the four principles, the brand is dismissed from the program and its right to use the seal is immediately canceled. The same applies if the brand becomes a threat to the goodwill and reputation of the ITA craft seal program. The tequila brand loses its representation rights in the Craft Tequila Committee.
Principles Explained
The principles reflect the international trends of the craft brewing industries. The main difference is the locality and brand ownership. In the craft brewing industry it is safe to assume that the brewer is the brand owner and is a local to the area where the beer is produced, in the tequila industry it is not necessarily true. As craft oriented consumers are looking for “local produce” which in turn would support the local community, this fourth principle has been added.
1. Small
The distillery producing the brand has a relatively small production volume.
As the production volumes of distilleries is not a public data, the decision of qualifying as “small” is controlled by the Craft Tequila Board Comittee. If an applicant distillery is clearly smaller than the biggest Craft Distillery Member than it cannot be disqualified based on size alone.
2. Independent
Distillery and brand both have to be owned by a professional distiller.
This is the very heart of the craft seal. An independent professional owner is more likely to make quality oriented decisions as it is their very own personal reputation that is at stake. Big corporations or non-professionals are more likely to sacrifice quality for profits and so the quality is likely to be compromised.
3. Local
Distillery owned brand and the owners are residents of Jalisco or other parts of the DOT or the brand is owned by a person who is recognized in the tequila industry for his/her contributions to conserve the traditions of making high quality tequilas.
When buying a craft beer in any part of the world, it is safe to assume that it is coming from a local brewer. However in case of tequila, the vast majority of the brands are not owned by the local distillery. Needless to say, local distillers have a lot more craft and history in producing tequila than celebrities. Another element when purchasing craft beer is that it supports the economy of the local area where the beer is coming from. By buying Local Craft Tequilas, consumers support the brand that has a real history and it helps keep the traditional agave rich taste of the tequila alive. There are a handful of professionals who live outside the denomination but are well known promoters of traditional tequilas. Their tequilas may also qualify.
4. Made of matured agaves
100% agave tequila made properly by matured agaves, allowing clean and complex agave related tasting notes without altering it with abusive production methods and additives.
Even though the production methods of the best tequilas vary greatly, they all share one thing in common. They are all made of carefully selected, matured agaves.
Production method: Having a diffuser on site immediately disqualifies a producer and its brands.
Careful filtration: The tequila has to have the complex characteristics that can usually be found in tequilas that are made by matured agaves. Careful filtration has to be applied not allow the loss of valuable flavors.
100% agave tequila only: While some “mixto” tequilas can have a reasonably high quality, they usually do not represent the highest quality that a distillery is capable of producing. Also it would not be fair to allow the usage of a craft seal on them as it would penalize producers who decided to only make 100% agave tequilas that bear a higher production cost.
No cristalino tequilas: Cristalino tequilas lose valuable congeners due to an extensive filtration.
No flavored tequilas: Flavors overwrite the natural agave notes of a quality tequila.
No gold/joven tequila: This classification is based on the extensive mellowing process that can have a similar effect as flavoring.
