0 % Additives: Cuervo Tradicional Silver, Dobel Blanco, 1800 Blanco, Gran Centenario Plata, Reserva de la familia Organic Platino—contains only agave, water, yeast.

Wood contact changes the rules: Once tequila rests in oak, the barrel itself releases natural sugars, tannins and colour pigments, blurring any “additive‑free” claim, and technically goes beyond three ingredients.

First‑Fill Oak Control: All José  Cuervo families age first in new American‑oak barrels we fire to exact toast levels, giving us flavour control before any finishing or fine‑tuning. Wood chips may later polish aromas but never replace proper aging.

Outcome: Each expression hits its target profile without hiding flaws or masking shortcuts.

Across every major aged‑spirit category—Champagne, Cognac, American Whiskey, Scotch—microscopic doses of abocantes (additives) keep colour, aroma and mouthfeel consistent from batch to batch. Mexico’s CRT caps total additives at 1 % of finished liquid, the same tolerance used for caramel colouring in Cognac and flavour‑standardising oak extract in Bourbon.

Typical tequila enhancers:
• Caramel colour  aligns hue bottle‑to‑bottle, fights counterfeits.
• Oak extract fills minor gaps in barrel toast levels.
• Natural glycerin adjusts body; produced naturally during fermentation and may be re‑added for balance.

These compounds are food‑grade, present at parts‑per‑thousand, and regulated just as tightly as in the world’s top wine and spirits houses.

There is no official “additive‑free” badge in tequila—nor a lab protocol capable of detecting the 3,000 FDA‑listed additives at parts‑per‑billion while also separating out the natural compounds oak contributes during aging. Private seals claiming purity lack the industrial‑scale chromatography needed to back them up. The CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila) is the sole authority that certifies:
• 100 % blue‑agave and mixto formulas
• Additive use within the 1 % legal limit
• NOM traceability across all Proximo distilleries

We support stronger auditing and clearer label guidance for the entire category, because quality isn’t defined by absence of additives—it’s defined by transparency, flavour integrity and respect for Mexico’s national spirit.