Following up with more tequila information today to help answer the question I’m getting over and over again via email: How do I know which tequilas are made with diffusers?
The answer: I can only tell you which tequila producers DON’T use diffusers.
Rather than share the top brand names with you, I’m going to list the distillery NOM numbers because the best distillers often make a dozen different brands. The easiest way to identify these producers is to look for the NOM identification on the label (in the top right of the above photo you can see that Cimarron is NOM 1146), and go from there.
One little caveat, while a NOM number will tell you where a tequila is produced, it doesn’t necessarily mean all the tequila in the bottle came from that producer. I only bring this up because a number of large brands have told me certain distilleries don’t have diffusers; to which I answered: “That doesn’t mean someone isn’t buying diffuser tequila from another producer and blending it in.”
But in the case of the distilleries below, I’m pretty certain that’s not happening.
I’m going to link each NOM to its profile on the Tequila Matchmaker website as well so you can dig deeper if you feel like going down this rabbit hole. Click on the profile to see a complete list of the tequilas made at each distillery.
When I buy a bottle of tequila, 999 out of 1000 times it’s going to come from one of the following producers:
NOM 1123 - Cascahuin
NOM 1414 - Vivanco
NOM 1146 - Tequileña
NOM 1493 - Los Abuelos (Fortaleza)
NOM 1579 - El Pandillo
NOM 1139 - La Alteña
NOM 1474 - Los Alambiques
Given the fact there are roughly 105 tequila distillers in the Jalisco area and I’m only listing seven distilleries, that should give you an idea of how widespread the use of diffusers is.
Are there other non-diffuser distillers I haven’t listed? Surely.
However, for the moment, the only producers I’m confident enough to put in writing are the above seven. There are also distilleries with diffusers that make a handful of non-diffuser labels, but with all the blending going on I can’t say for certain if a typically non-diffuser brand is or isn’t being cut with a bit of diffuser juice to stretch out volume.
In any case, start with these producers and go from there if you’re looking for advice.
-David Driscoll