Tequila, Jalisco products distilled from agave grown in certain regions of Mexico. These regions are Tequila and surrounding municipalities as well as parts of the State of Tamaulipas. The lands in Tamaulipas were added later as the need to cultivate blue agave grew, and these lands and the agave grown on them were certified by the Mexican government for quality. The term is also limited to fifteen production facilities such as Tequila Sauza, Tequila Orendaín, and Jorge Salles Cuervo. Long-established distilleries here produce between 500 and 1000 liters a day but this is not enough to meet the international demand for the
Tequila ("Reposado") or aged ("Añejo") tequila must be matured in 200-liter (or larger) white oak barrels for at least 2 months for the former, and 12 months for the latter. There are, however, more than 50 different companies producing tequila in the Mexican province of Jalisco, with different maturation times according to the variety of tequila and desired quality of the final product. All companies producing tequila have their aging processes regulated and fiscalized by the Mexican government. The maturation process causes four main chemical transformations to the tequila compounds: (1) decreasing of fusel oils by the char in barrels, which