It's nothing without NOM

NOM on the label stands for Normas Oficial Mexicana - the official Mexican government regulations - usually referred to simply as the NORMAS. The NOM identifier means the tequila meets government standards - but it's not any guarantee of quality. However, without the NOM stamp of legitimacy, you can't even be sure it's tequila in the bottle.

 

NOMs, or normas, are compulsory standards to which tequila producers must adhere. They are federal laws overseen by federal regulating agencies - in the case of tequila, the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT).

 

All 100% agave tequilas must have a NOM identifier on the bottle. The important laws since 1990 were NOM-006-SCFI-1993 and the later update NOM-006-SCFI-1994 and the most recent revision in late 2005, NOM-006-SCFI-2005. The full text of the latest NOM is on the laws page.

 

The number after NOM is the distillery number, assigned by the government. Look closely and you'll see a lot of apparently competing brands have the same NOM number. That's because they're all produced at the same distillery, regardless of any real or invented history or legend behind them. In fact, there are only about 110 licensed tequila producers in all of Mexico - and they make about 1,000 different brands. Only one of these companies does not have a license to make 100% agave tequilas.

 

NOM does not indicate the location of the distillery, merely the parent company or - in the case where a company leases space in a plant - the physical plant where the tequila was manufactured. The location may also be listed on the label, but it may also be the address of the parent firm, not the actual fabrica. However, a growing number of brands -including Porfidio, 1921, Voodoo Tiki, and Patron - do not have their own distillery, but instead purchase what they consider the best tequila from other manufacturers and put their own labels on the bottles. Sometimes these companies will change their distiller, so the NOM identifier on their label will change.

 

Some of these plants may not even produce a 'house' brand. Tequila Mascarillo, for example, made product for several companies, but only recently started to produce their own brand-name product.

 

Before 1978, the term on the label was DGN (Direccion General de Normas) but since the NOM was founded, DGN isn't used any more, although it may appear on some mixto tequilas bottled in the USA. All Mexican-bottled tequilas must say Hecho en Mexico on them.

 

Some tequilas are bottled outside Mexico using bulk Mexican mixto tequila as a base. These bottles may not show a NOM identifier, but if they do it means the source of the bulk product, not the bottler. These bulk brands are not always governed by the strict Mexican laws, although the USA recently signed an agreement with Mexico to control the adulteration of bulk tequila by US bottlers. But without the CRT's immediate oversight, it is possible mixto tequila bottled outside Mexico could be adulterated with other non-agave, non-tequila ingredients. To counter adulteration and counterfeiting, the CRT has set up offices in Washington, DC (for the US and Canada) and in Europe to cover the EU.

 

Tequila bottled outside Mexico will never be 100% agave: it will always be a mixto. Tequilas bottled in Mexico all have a small identifier showing 'envasado de origen."

A more recent term added to the label is DOT - Denomination of Origin, Tequila. But many labels still lack this stamp.

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NOM/DOT - Distillery or Producer's Name

 

(as of June, 2011)

NOM/DOT Distillery Name
1068 (116) Agroindustrias Guadalajara
1079 (188) Agave Tequilana Prod y Com.
1102 (88) Tequila Sauza
1103 (93) Tequila San Matias de Jalisco
1105 (125) Tequila Catador Alteño
1107 (94) Tequila El Viejito
1108 (87) Jorge Salles Cuervo y Sucesores
1110 (95) Tequila Orendain de Jalisco (also 1172)
1111 (83) Pernod Ricard Mexico (Viuda de Romero)
1112 (112) Tequila Santa Fe
1115 (105) Tequila La Parreñita
1119 (89) Brown Forman (Tequila Herradura)
1120 (104) Tequila Siete Leguas
1122 (113) Casa Cuervo (also 1104)
1123 (106) Tequila Cascahuin
1124 (97) Tequilas del Senor
1127 (110) Tequilera la Gonzaleña
1137 (111) La Cofradia
1139 (101) Tequila Tapatio
1140 (86) Tequila Centinela
1142 (82) La Madrileña
1143 (93) Destiladora Gonzalez Gonzalez
1146 (102) Tequileña
1173 (155) Tequilera Newton e Hijos
1333 (124) Fabrica de Aguardientes de Agave La Mexicana
1360 (126) Corporacion Ansan
1368 (127) Tequilera Corralejo
1412 (185) Destiladora de Los Altos
1413 (128) Compañía Destiladora de Acatlán & Tequila
1414 (129) Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados
1416 (138) Productos Finos de Agave
1417 (133) Industrializadora Integral del Agave
1419 (139) Metlalli
1420 (134) Industrializadora de Agave San Isidro
1424 (140) Destiladora de Agave Azul
1426 (141) Agaveros Unidos de Amatitán
1431 ((144) Destiladora los Magos
1433 (148) Tequila Quiote
1434 (147) Procesadora de Agave Penjamo
1435 (150) Destiladora la Barraanca
1436 (156) Tequila Artesanal de Los Altos de Jalisco
1437 (160) Tequilera Don Roberto
1438 (152) Destiladora del Valle de Tequila
1439 (153) Proveedora y Procesadora de Agave Tres Hermanos
1440 (151) Destiladora San Nicolas
1442 (155) Tequilera del Salto
1443 (154) Grupo Industrial Tequilero de los Altos de Jalisco
1445 (158) Productores de Agave
1449 (163) Tequila Don Julio
1450 (165) Marco Antonio Jauregui Huerta
1451 (166) Destilerias Sierra Unidas
1455 (174) Fabrica de Tequila el Nacimiento
1456 (171) Tequila Supremo
1457 (172) Tequilera la Quemada
1458 (176) Tequilera La Primavera
1459 (173) Tequila Selecto de Amatitan
1460 (175) Compañia Tequilera de Arandas /Tequilera Rustica de Arandas
1463 (177) Cooperativa Tequilera La Magdalena
1464 (188) Destileria 501
1465 (180) Fabrica de Tequila El Eden
1466 (192) Tequilera Tres Mujeres
1467 (181) Impulsora Rombo
1468 (182) Grupo Tequilero Mexico
1471 (186) Grupo Internacional de Exportacion
1472 (187) Fabrica de Tiquilas Finos
1473 (160) Tequilera la Barranca de Amatitan
1474 (189) Cia Tequilera Los Alambiques
1476 (193) Destiladora Rubio
1477 (194) Letiica Hermosillo Ravelero
1479 (195) Hacienda La Capilla
1480 ((204) Tequila Las Americas
1482 (199) Fabrica de Tequila Tlaquepaque
1485 (201) Prestadora Integral de Servicios par la Industria de Occidente
1486 (203) Tequilera Los Generales
1487 (103) Bacardi y Compañia (Tequila Cazadores)
1488 (205) Cavas Vamer
1489 (205) Destiliados Leyros
1490 (206) Destiladora Arandas
1492 (207) Patron Spirits
1493 (212) Tequila Los Abuelos
1498 (213) Tequilera La Perla
1499 (215) Casa Tequilera de Arandas
1500 (216) Tequilera Las Juntas
1501 (217) Tequilera El Triangulo
1502 (218) Autentica Tequilera
1503 (117) Empressa Ejidal Tequilera de Amititan
1504 (220) Agave Azul San Jose
1505 (219) Productores de Tequila de Arandas
1507 (223) Casa Reyes Barajas
1508 (222) Fabrica de Tequila Don Nacho
1509 (224) Tequila Embajador
1510 (225) Destiladora Casa Blana Vazquez
1511 (230) Cia Tequilera Hacienda Sahuayo
1512 (227) Grupo Familiar Don Crispin
1513 (229) Tierra de Agaves
1514 (226) Productores de Agave Derivados del Degollado
1515 (232) Destiladora Santa Virginia
1517 (233) Tequila Galindo
1518 (234) Tequila Casa de Los Gonzalez
1519 (235) Agroindustrias Casa Ramirez
1522 (236) Hacienda de Oro
1523 (240) Agrotequilera de Jalisco
1524 (237) Elaboracion de Bebidas Destiladas de Agave
1525 (238) Destiladores Los Sauces
1526 (239) Productos Regionales de Atotonilco
1527 (241) Tecnoagave
1528 (243) Destiladora Suprema de Los Altos
1529 (245) Agaveros y Tequileros Unidos de Los Altos
1530 (244) Tequilera Simbolo
1531 (253) Rivesca
1532 (261) Tequilera Gonzalez
1533 (246) Vinos y Licores Azteca
1534 (251) Compañia Destiladora de Xamay
1535 (247) Destileria Morales
1536 (255) Tequilas Garcia
1537 (249) Tequilera la Lupita
1538 (248) Destiladora de Agave Hacienda los Huajes
1539 (262) Herlindo Luna Garcia
1540 (252) Tequila Doña Engracia
1541 (264) Destileria Eugenesis
1543 (257) Lucio Rivera de Aro
1544 (258) Antonio Mejia Leyva
1545 (266) Havienda Capellanian
1546 (256) Tequila 7 Mares
1547 (259) Integradora San Augustin
1548 (260) Grupo Tequilero de Los Altos
1549 (265) Destiladora Refugio
1550 (269) Comercializadora de Agave y Derivados La Mula
1551 (268) Destiladora Juanacatlan
1552 (267) Destileria las Canada
1555 (274) Destiladora de Los Altos la Joya
1556 (272) Tequila 3 Reales de Jalisco
1558 (273) Premium de Jalisco
1559 (276) Tequilera Milagro
1560 (278) Tequilas Gonzalez Lara
1561 (277) Destiladora el Paisano
1563 (284) Asociacion Procesadora de Agave de Churinitzo
1564 (281) Compania Tequilera la Mision
1566 (283) Productos Selectos de Agave
1570 (287) Altos Cienega Unidos
1572 (291) Destiladora de Agave El
143 producers make 1,154 brands; 30 of these producers also make 202 other brands for export only.
Removed from list since 2001: 740, 856, 1104, 1109, 1113, 1114, 1117, 1118, 1121, 1128, 1131, 1141, 1154, 1196, 1235, 1258, 1298, 1384, 1395, 1418, 1422, 1423 (now 1484), 1427, 1429, 1430, 1432, 1441, 1444, 1446, 1447, 1448, 1452, 1454, 1469, 1470, 1475, 1481, 1483, 1484, 1494, 1495, 1497, 1498, 1505, 1506. Source: Tequila Regulatory Council web site www.crt.org.mx. Latest update: Jan. 2011.

 

 

Sources:

• Tequila Regulatory Council
• Academia Mexicana del Tequila

 

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