“Additive-free” has been the hot topic in the Tequila industry for the last 10 years, both as a tool to discover quality tequilas, and due to its surprising ability to generate controversy. In this blog post we’ll examine the history of the additive-free movement, and explain why it’s all been so dramatic.

The CRT – or Consejo Regulador de Tequila – is the official tequila regulator. It controls who can use the word “Tequila”, and sets the rules which define the category. Since 1994, the CRT has explicitly allowed for the inclusion of chemical additives, or abocantes, in the production of Tequila of all classes – including 100% Agave. These additives include caramel colouring, oak extracts, glycerin and the intriguingly vague category of “flavoured sugar syrups”. The total weight of additives can comprise up to 1% of the final liquid. This might not sound like a lot, but these chemicals are powerful and concentrated and have a big impact on flavour.

Unsurprisingly distilleries don’t tend to promote their use of additives, and as there is no legal requirement for brands to include these ingredients on their labels, the practice went largely unnoticed by consumers for years. This began to change with the launch of the website TasteTequila.com, founded by Grover and Scarlet Sanschagrin.

The Sanschagrins are American nationals who had been living and working in Mexico for many years. They are both tequila obsessives, and in 2009 they decided to start the Taste Tequila website as a forum to share their experiences, and build consumer understanding of the category.

In 2012 this evolved into Tequila Matchmaker – a website and app which serves as a database of registered distilleries and brands, detailing production methods available at each distillery, alongside consumer created brand reviews and tasting notes.

By 2017, the Sanschagrins were becoming increasingly aware of the unnatural tasting notes which were proliferating in popular brands. Artificial sweetness, vanillas, and high viscosity were contributing to tequilas which tasted less of agave, and more like cake batter. The obvious source of these flavours were the chemical additives permitted by the CRT. And while there was nothing wrong with this in principle, they were uncomfortable with the lack of transparency, and concerned that these cheap, additive laden spirits, and could contribute to the decline of traditionally made tequilas.

To combat this development, Taste Tequila launched the Additive-Free Certification in 2020. Distilleries that chose to apply would have their facilities inspected, and their liquids sent for lab testing. If proven to be producing only additive free tequila, the distillery, along with all their associated brands, would achieve an additive-free certification – proudly displayed on the Tequila Matchmaker website.

By 2023 the certification had gained momentum. Several distilleries had been successfully certified and the concept of additive-free tequila had become embedded with bartenders, media, and increasingly with consumers. This had not gone unnoticed by the CRT.

The establishment of the Additive-Free Certificate conflicted with the CRT’s monopoly control of Tequila. Taste Tequila had effectively made a premium sub-category, existing above “100% Agave”, and outside the scope of the CRT. As well as being unsolicited and unapproved, CRT insisted that only their organisation “has the necessary infrastructure to evaluate the conformity of the quality of Tequila”.

But the CRT’s protests likely had another motive. The biggest players in Tequila – the corporations behind tequilas most popular brands – are fond of additives. They help to cut costs, allowing for the use of cheaper agave and industrial production methods, while providing mass market appeal (the people love cake). It is not in their interest for smaller, artisanal brands to be seen as more authentic, or better quality, as is suggested by the additive-free certification. Significantly, these big players make big money, and therefore, have big influence.

A dispute ensued. The CRT demanded that Taste Tequila stop issuing their certification. Taste Tequila agreed to stop – on the proviso that the CRT would begin issuing an equivalent certification, something the CRT refused to do.

Things came to a head in 2024 when the Mexican authorities raided the Sanschagrin’s Guadalajara home.

Following a tip off from the CRT that the house was being used as “an adulterated tequila factory” – a deeply ironic claim given the Sanschagrin’s commitment to natural tequila - armed police broke down the door and confiscated property; primarily the equipment legitimately used to test tequilas for presence of additives. The house was designated a crime scene, and a warrant was put out for the arrest of the Sanschagrins. Fortunately, they were in the US at the time and so avoided physical arrest. But they were unable to return to their lives in Mexico.

With Taste Tequila now beyond their reaches, the CRT turned on the additive-free certified brands and distilleries. As well as demanding product re-calls, the CRT went as far as to ban the phrase “additive-free” from labels and promotional material, with the aim of completely removing the concept from the conversation.

But unfortunately for the CRT, the cat is well and truly out the bag. And the dramatic nature of their censorship has only fuelled the flames.

A brand’s commitment to natural process, is indicative of a wider commitment to quality, honesty, and sustainability. It is a sign that you are dealing with people doing it the right way. In this way, knowing whether a liquid contains additives or not, is the best way to lead you through the noise of marketing, to tequilas which are delicious, good value, and worthy of your financial support. For this reason, the concept of additive-free is deeply embedded, and continues to be demanded by bartenders and customers.  

Desdeya is a proud example of additive-free tequila, made of blue agave, red wine yeast, and water – and nothing else.