Gifts for tequila lovers who check the NOM on every label

It identifies the distillery that made the tequila. One distillery often produces several brands, so the NOM shows which bottles come from the same place. Agave Matchmaker, formerly Tequila Matchmaker, lists the NOM for each bottle along with how its agave was cooked, crushed, fermented and distilled; Tequila Ocho Plata, for example, is NOM 1474, cooked in brick ovens and distilled twice in copper pots.

It is tequila made without the additives Mexican rules allow. According to Taste Tequila, the blog behind Agave Matchmaker, producers may add sugar-based syrup, glycerin, oak extract or caramel color, up to 1 percent of total volume, without listing them on the label. The regulator no longer lets labels claim “additive free,” so fans rely on brand disclosures and independent sources.

For sipping, a glass that narrows toward the rim concentrates aroma. The Agave Matchmaker founders use standard Glencairn nosing glasses daily when tasting agave spirits, which is why Taste Tequila sells an engraved pair. Mezcal is traditionally sipped from wide cups such as jícaras, whose open mouths let alcohol evaporate so the aroma comes through. Save shot glasses for parties.

Tequila is a type of mezcal. The publisher’s description of Agave Spirits puts it plainly: all tequilas are mezcals, and all mezcals are made from agaves. Tequila uses blue Weber agave, while mezcals can use many species; one Mezcal Vago ensemble blends espadín, barril, coyote and sierra negra. A bottle of Del Maguey Vida is an easy way to taste the difference.