Tequila and mezcal are the two most globally significant agave-based spirits, sharing a geographic origin in Mexico but governed by entirely separate regulatory frameworks, distinct production conventions, and increasingly divergent packaging strategies. Tequila has evolved into one of the most premiumised spirits categories globally, with glass packaging investment now rivalling Scotch single malt in terms of weight, decoration complexity, and custom mould investment. Mezcal — particularly at the Artesanal and Ancestral production levels — has developed a packaging language rooted in craft and origin authenticity, where the glass bottle must communicate small-batch production values while meeting the same regulatory compliance obligations as any food-contact glass export.
For B2B glass packaging buyers, procurement teams, and brand packaging managers working with tequila or mezcal producers and importers, both categories present specific challenges that do not apply to unregulated spirits: the CRT certification framework for tequila, the mezcal production-level classification system, the NOM number requirement on every bottle label, and the practical implications of each for glass specification and label panel design. Getting these details right before mould approval prevents costly rework and certification delays; getting them wrong can delay a product launch or trigger label non-compliance at the US or EU border.
This guide covers the regulatory split between tequila and mezcal, what CRT certification means in practice for glass bottle specification, the five tequila expression categories and their packaging conventions, mezcal's three production levels and what each implies for glass sourcing, standard bottle formats for US and EU markets, glass colour and weight strategy by tier, and a practical framework for sourcing artisanal-aesthetic custom bottles for craft mezcal expressions. For the broader commercial trends shaping the tequila packaging market, see our tequila packaging trends guide; this article focuses specifically on the compliance framework and glass specification implications that define what buyers can and cannot do.
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Quick Answers: Tequila and Mezcal Glass Packaging Basics
What is the CRT, and does tequila require a CRT holographic seal on the bottle?
The CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila) is the Mexican regulatory authority that certifies tequila production, enforces the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-006-SCFI for tequila, and issues the NOM identification number that must appear on every certified tequila bottle label. In addition to the NOM number, certified tequila bottles are required to carry a CRT holographic sticker seal (Holograma CRT) applied at the neck or closure area during bottling. This seal is the physical proof of CRT certification and is verified at import by US and EU customs authorities. The glass bottle must therefore have a neck and closure profile that is compatible with consistent holographic sticker application.
What are the five official tequila categories, and how does each affect packaging choice?
The five official tequila categories under NOM-006-SCFI are: Blanco (unaged or aged up to 60 days, typically clear glass); Joven (a blend of Blanco with aged tequila, or young tequila with permissible additives, variable packaging); Reposado (aged 2–12 months in oak, often presented in amber or clear glass with heavier decoration); Añejo (aged 1–3 years in oak barrels of no more than 600 litres, premium packaging conventions); and Extra Añejo (aged more than 3 years, the highest-tier category, commanding the heaviest glass and most elaborate decoration). Each category's price positioning and consumer expectation corresponds to specific glass weight ranges and decoration investment levels covered in the packaging conventions section below.
How does mezcal's three-tier production classification affect packaging?
Mezcal is classified into three official production levels under NOM-070-SCFI-2016, each of which must be stated on the bottle label: Mezcal (the baseline category, permitting semi-industrial production methods); Mezcal Artesanal (requiring traditional production methods including tahona stone pressing or traditional mills, and copper or clay pot distillation); and Mezcal Ancestral (the most traditional tier, mandating clay pot distillation, traditional agave pressing by hand or animal power, and open fermentation in natural vessels). The production level designation on the label affects label panel design, and the glass packaging appropriate for each tier differs significantly in terms of custom mould investment, decoration approach, and batch-size compatibility.
What bottle size is standard for tequila and mezcal in the US market?
750mL is the TTB-approved standard retail format for both tequila and mezcal in the US market, consistent with the TTB approved spirits size list under 27 CFR Part 5. The EU and UK markets use 700mL as the standard format. Mexico's domestic market uses a range of formats including 750mL (US-aligned), 700mL, 1L, and 500mL depending on channel. For producers supplying multiple markets, format decisions typically follow the primary export destination: US-first brands specify 750mL; EU-first brands specify 700mL; dual-market producers require separate mould investments for each format.
Does tequila or mezcal need to be bottled in Mexico?
For tequila labelled as "100% Agave Tequila," the CRT rules permit bulk export to certified overseas bottling facilities under specific conditions — however, the spirit must be certified by the CRT and the NOM number and holographic seal still apply. In practice, the majority of major tequila brands bottle in Mexico, and all production must occur within the designated tequila Denomination of Origin region. For mezcal, NOM-070-SCFI-2016 generally requires that mezcal be bottled within the mezcal Denomination of Origin region in Mexico, with stricter requirements for Artesanal and Ancestral categories. Importers and brand owners should verify current bottling location requirements directly with the CRT or the mezcal regulatory authority, as these rules are subject to regulatory updates.
Two Categories, One Origin: The Regulatory Split Between Tequila and Mezcal
Despite sharing agave as their base ingredient and Mexico as their origin, tequila and mezcal are legally and regulatorily distinct categories governed by separate Mexican Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM) standards, separate Denominations of Origin, and separate certification bodies. Understanding this distinction is the essential starting point for glass packaging procurement in both categories.
Tequila: NOM-006-SCFI and the CRT
Tequila production is governed by NOM-006-SCFI (most recently updated in 2012), which specifies the permitted production regions, agave species (exclusively Blue Weber agave — Agave tequilana Weber), production methods, aging definitions, and labelling requirements. The Denomination of Origin for tequila covers the entire state of Jalisco and designated municipalities in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Compliance with NOM-006-SCFI is verified and certified by the CRT, which issues every certified tequila producer a NOM number that must appear on all product labels. No tequila may be exported or sold internationally without CRT certification.
Mezcal: NOM-070-SCFI-2016 and the Mezcal Regulatory Authority
Mezcal is governed by NOM-070-SCFI-2016, which was significantly revised in 2016 to introduce the three-tier production classification (Mezcal, Artesanal, Ancestral). The mezcal Denomination of Origin covers a larger and more geographically diverse area than tequila — including all of Oaxaca (the dominant producing state) and parts of Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Puebla, among others. Mezcal may be produced from a wider range of agave species (dozens of varieties are permitted), and the producing species must be stated on the label. Mezcal certification is overseen by the mezcal regulatory authority; producers and importers should verify current certification requirements and approved laboratory contact details directly with the regulatory body, as the institutional framework has undergone updates since the original COMERCAM structure.
What This Means for Glass Packaging Procurement
From a glass packaging standpoint, the regulatory split between the two categories has four practical implications: the label panel must accommodate different mandatory information for each category; the batch sizes that characterise Artesanal and Ancestral mezcal are often far smaller than commercial tequila runs, which affects MOQ viability for custom glass; the premium positioning signals expected by the market differ significantly between tequila tiers and mezcal production levels; and certification documentation for import into the US or EU must be in order before the glass bottle specification is finalised — because label panel dimensions, neck finish, and closure compatibility are all set at mould approval stage and cannot be changed without retooling costs.
CRT Certification: What It Means for Your Glass Bottle Specification
CRT certification is not a glass bottle specification in itself — the CRT certifies the spirit and the producer, not the packaging material. However, the certification requirements create specific constraints on how the glass bottle must be configured to accommodate mandatory label and seal elements. These constraints must be resolved before the bottle mould is approved.
The NOM Number on the Label
Every certified tequila producer is issued a NOM identification number (formatted as NOM-XXX-CRT, where XXX is the producer's unique number) that must appear visibly on the bottle label. This is a mandatory label element alongside the category designation, DO origin statement, ABV, producer name, and volume. From a glass specification perspective, the label panel — front face dimensions, curvature, and surface consistency — must be large enough and flat enough to accommodate all mandatory label copy at legible font sizes without crowding. For premium expressions that use elaborate label designs, the NOM number and other mandatory elements must be integrated into the design without compromise. Label panel area and curvature radius are confirmed with the label printer and label applicator as part of the bottle specification brief.
The CRT Holographic Seal
The Holograma CRT — a tamper-evident holographic sticker issued by the CRT — is applied to the neck or closure area of each certified tequila bottle during bottling. This sticker is the physical verification of CRT certification and is inspected at US and EU customs. Its application has direct implications for the glass bottle's neck profile: the external neck diameter and the area immediately below the closure must provide a clean, consistent surface for reliable sticker application. Excessive embossing or surface irregularity in the neck-to-shoulder zone can cause holographic seal application failures on automated bottling lines. The precise placement zone for the hologram is confirmed with the bottling plant operator before neck finish specification is locked.
Approved Bottle Sizes and Fill Volume
CRT-certified tequila must be bottled at the declared volume, consistent with the TTB approved size list for US export and EU labelling requirements for other markets. Bottle capacity must be verified by the glass supplier as part of pre-production qualification: brimful capacity and fill line height are specified in the glass drawing, and per-batch capacity inspection reports confirm that each production run meets the stated volume within tolerance. For export to the US, the TTB COLA submission specifies the exact bottle size; any change to the glass mould that affects capacity requires a COLA amendment before the new bottle can be used commercially.
Mezcal bottles carry a comparably complex mandatory label requirement: production level (Mezcal / Artesanal / Ancestral), agave variety or varieties used, state of production, name of the maestro mezcalero (for Artesanal and Ancestral), batch number, and total number of bottles in the batch (for Artesanal and Ancestral). This last element — total batch size on label — means that for small-batch Artesanal and Ancestral mezcal, each production run may result in individually numbered bottles. The label panel must accommodate all of this information, and the design brief should account for variable data (batch number, bottle number within batch) that changes with each production run. For the glass bottle, this simply reinforces the need for a consistently sized and shaped label panel that is compatible with both fixed-design and variable-data label printing.
The Five Tequila Expression Categories: Packaging Conventions by Tier
Each of the five official tequila categories has developed distinct packaging conventions through market evolution. These are not regulatory requirements for the glass itself — the NOM standard does not specify glass weight, colour, or shape — but they are commercial expectations that retail buyers, distributors, and importers apply in evaluating new product listings.
Category
Aging Definition
Glass Colour Convention
Typical Bottle Weight (750mL)
Decoration Level
Blanco
Unaged or ≤60 days in stainless / oak
Clear (flint) — shows unaged clarity
300–550g
Label-dominant to ACL accent; often clean minimalist
Joven
Blanco blended with aged; or young with additives
Clear or light amber; mid-tier positioning
300–500g
Mid-range label design; limited glass decoration
Reposado
2–12 months in oak barrels
Clear or light amber; gold tinting on some mid-range
450–650g
ACL printing, embossing on premium expressions; heavier glass
Añejo
1–3 years in oak barrels ≤600L
Clear (showing natural amber color) or light amber glass
550–800g
Heavy decoration: embossing, foil, ACL, premium closure
Extra Añejo
>3 years in oak barrels ≤600L
Clear or dark tinted; luxury positioning signals
700g–1,000g+
Maximum decoration; custom shapes; premium closures
Cristalino: The Sixth Commercial Tier
While not a separate regulatory category under NOM-006-SCFI, Cristalino has emerged as a commercially significant expression type: aged tequila (typically Añejo or Extra Añejo) that has been charcoal-filtered to remove colour while retaining the flavour development of oak aging. The NOM standard recognises filtered aged tequila, and the product is typically labelled as "Añejo Cristalino" or "Extra Añejo Cristalino." Packaging conventions for Cristalino align with the premium Añejo tier but with one notable glass implication: the bottle is most commonly specified in clear (flint) glass precisely so that the crystal-clear appearance of the filtered spirit is fully visible — a packaging choice that directly communicates the Cristalino proposition to the consumer before the label is read.
The 100% Agave Premium Axis
Overlaying the five aging categories is the commercial distinction between "100% Agave Tequila" (made exclusively from Blue Weber agave sugars) and "Tequila" or "Mixto" (which may include up to 49% non-agave sugars). This distinction is declared on the label and has strong packaging implications: 100% Agave expressions dominate the premium and ultra-premium tiers and consistently use heavier glass, more elaborate decoration, and premium closures. Mixto tequila is more commonly found in lightweight, lower-cost glass formats. For B2B buyers representing 100% Agave expressions, the packaging brief should be calibrated to the premium category standards rather than the blended-spirit baseline.
Mezcal's Three Production Levels: Glass Implications for Each
Mezcal's three-tier production classification creates distinct packaging environments for each level. The regulatory categories map closely to the scale of production, the type of producer, and the premium positioning of the product — all of which have direct implications for glass bottle procurement strategy.
Mezcal (Base Category): Scale and Standard Formats
Base-category Mezcal can be produced using semi-industrial methods — mechanical agave processing, stainless steel or copper pot distillation, and larger production volumes. Brands at this level typically have production volumes sufficient to justify standard glass mould formats and maintain consistent batch sizes. Glass packaging at this tier generally uses stock or semi-custom bottle shapes, mid-range weights (400–600g for 750mL), clear or light-tinted glass, and standard commercial closures. The label panel must carry the mandatory mezcal category designation ("Mezcal"), agave variety, and origin state.
Mezcal Artesanal: Small Batch, Craft Positioning
Mezcal Artesanal requires traditional production methods: traditional agave roasting in earthen pits, tahona stone wheel or traditional wooden mallet pressing, and copper pot or clay pot distillation. These methods inherently produce smaller batch volumes — often 500 to 3,000 litres per batch — resulting in bottle runs that may be 500 to 4,000 bottles per production batch. This creates a tension with standard glass minimum order quantities from commercial manufacturers. Glass packaging for Mezcal Artesanal typically aims to communicate craft and artisanal origin: heavier glass (500–750g), often with irregular or hand-thrown aesthetic (achievable in machine-produced glass through shape design), ACL botanical motifs, or embossing. The label must additionally carry the name of the maestro mezcalero and the batch number.
Mezcal Ancestral: Maximum Craft, Maximum Differentiation
Mezcal Ancestral is produced under the most restrictive conditions: clay pot (olla de barro) distillation is mandatory; agave must be processed by hand or with animal-powered tahona only; fermentation must occur in open-air natural vessels (wooden vats, animal hides, stone or clay). Production volumes at this level are typically very small — some Ancestral producers output fewer than 200 bottles per batch, and runs of 500–1,500 bottles per production cycle are common. For glass packaging buyers, this raises two specific challenges: finding compliant glass with low enough MOQ for viable procurement, and specifying a bottle that authentically communicates the Ancestral production narrative while meeting food-contact regulatory requirements for export.
Glass packaging conventions for Mezcal Ancestral include: heavy glass (600g–900g) that communicates the weight of tradition; custom or semi-custom bottle shapes with organic or irregular silhouettes; often clear glass to showcase the spirit's natural clarity; minimal industrial-feeling decoration in favour of textures that reference traditional craft; and T-cork or cork closures with wax sealing. The label must carry all mandatory Ancestral-specific information including the maestro mezcalero's name, batch number, and total bottles in the batch.
Bottle Formats: US, EU and Mexican Domestic Market Standards
Tequila and mezcal are primarily exported in two standard formats determined by the target market, with additional formats for travel retail and gifting. Format decisions must be confirmed before mould development begins.
United States: 750mL Standard
The US is the largest export market for both tequila and mezcal. The TTB-approved standard retail format is 750mL, consistent with the approved spirits size list under 27 CFR Part 5 (50mL, 100mL, 200mL, 375mL, 750mL, 1L, 1.75L). The US COLA submission specifies the bottle size, and any mould change affecting capacity requires a COLA amendment. Our Spirits Bottle Size Calculator provides a reference for US vs EU format volumes and the complete TTB approved size list — useful when planning a dual-market specification or briefing an overseas glass supplier on the US format requirement.
European Union: 700mL Standard
For tequila and mezcal exported to EU member states, 700mL is the standard retail format for spirits under EU Regulation 2019/787. EU market entry for tequila benefits from the GI recognition framework between the EU and Mexico, which grants tequila and mezcal protected GI status within the EU. This does not change the 700mL format requirement, but it does require that labelling comply with EU spirits labelling rules in addition to Mexican NOM requirements. For a full overview of the EU GI spirits compliance framework, see our guide to EU Geographical Indication spirits packaging rules, which covers how both categories are treated under EU regulation.
Format Strategy for Dual-Market Producers
Producers exporting to both the US (750mL) and the EU (700mL) require separate bottle moulds for each format, or — for lower-tier expressions — a fill height adjustment within a shared mould profile, with careful label dimension management. The capacity difference between 700mL and 750mL is sufficient to affect fill line height visibly, which typically makes a shared mould impractical for premium expressions where label panel proportions and fill-line aesthetics are part of the brand's visual identity. Premium tequila and mezcal brands entering both markets should budget for two moulds from the outset and treat each format as a separate specification exercise.
Travel Retail and Gift Formats
Travel retail is a significant channel for tequila, and formats including 1L, 500mL, 375mL, and miniature sets (50mL, 100mL) are common at international airports. For mezcal, travel retail is a growing channel, particularly at Mexican airports and in US international terminals. Gift packaging for tequila frequently uses 750mL or 700mL as the primary format paired with miniature accessories. Each format requires its own glass specification, and for travel retail, pack dimensions must accommodate secondary presentation packaging and IATA dangerous goods compliance.
Glass Colour, Weight and Decoration in Premium Tequila and Mezcal
Glass Colour Strategy
Tequila's glass colour conventions are driven primarily by the expression's aging category and the visibility of the spirit's natural colour in the bottle. Blanco tequila is almost universally presented in clear (flint) glass — a direct product of the category expectation that unaged tequila is brilliantly clear, and that showing that clarity through the bottle is a quality signal. Reposado and Añejo expressions, whose natural colour deepens with oak aging, can be presented in either clear glass (showing the amber hue of the spirit) or amber glass (providing UV protection and reinforcing the aging narrative through the glass colour itself). Extra Añejo expressions use clear glass at the ultra-premium tier, where the deep mahogany of the spirit is itself a quality demonstration.
Mezcal colour conventions are more heterogeneous. Many Artesanal and Ancestral expressions use clear glass to showcase the spirit's natural unaged clarity. Some premium expressions use smoky or smoked-glass tints that reference the mezcal production process — the agave roasting in earthen pits. Dark tinted glass appears in limited-edition and prestige expressions. Unlike tequila, mezcal has not developed a dominant glass colour convention at the category level, which gives producers significant latitude — and means that colour becomes part of the individual brand's differentiation strategy.
Glass Weight by Category Tier
Category / Level
Typical Weight (750mL)
Market Signal
Entry Blanco / Joven Tequila
280–420g
Value positioning; mass-market retail
Mid-range Reposado / 100% Agave Blanco
420–600g
Premium credibility; craft retail and on-trade
Premium Añejo / Artesanal Mezcal
600–800g
Strong premium; gifting; on-trade display
Ultra-premium Extra Añejo / Ancestral Mezcal
800g–1,100g+
Prestige; collector; maximum shelf authority
Decoration Conventions
Premium tequila packaging has become one of the most decoration-intensive categories in spirits. ACL ceramic screen printing is standard for premium 100% Agave expressions, often featuring agave plant illustrations, Aztec or pre-Columbian imagery, and detailed landscape motifs. Mould-blown embossing — with agave relief, heritage crests, or geometric patterns — is common from Reposado tier upward. Foil hot-stamping for brand marks and age designation frames appears at Añejo and Extra Añejo level. For premium decoration capabilities including ACL printing, embossing, and foiling, see our premium spirits bottle decoration guide.
Mezcal decoration, by contrast, trends toward restraint in higher production-level expressions — a deliberate signal that the value is in the provenance and craft of the liquid, not the elaborateness of the packaging. Artesanal and Ancestral expressions typically use minimal ACL printing (often a single botanical or agave illustration in one or two colours), or rely primarily on the bottle's shape and weight to communicate quality. Where decoration is used in mezcal, it often references traditional craft: hand-applied wax, natural materials on closure handles, or tactile embossing that suggests handmade production.
Sourcing Custom Glass for Artisanal and Ancestral Mezcal
The small-batch nature of Artesanal and Ancestral mezcal production creates a glass procurement challenge that does not arise in the same form for commercial tequila. Standard glass minimum order quantities from large manufacturers — typically 5,000–10,000 units per production run — can exceed the total annual output of small-scale mezcal producers. The solutions available to small-batch mezcal brands sourcing glass from China require careful evaluation of cost, customisation, and compliance.
Option 1: Semi-Custom with Standard Mould
The most accessible path for small-batch mezcal brands is selecting a high-quality standard stock mould — ideally with a shape that supports the artisanal positioning (organic silhouette, adequate weight, cork-friendly neck finish) — and applying custom decoration through ACL printing, neck label, and closure choice. This approach eliminates mould tooling cost, enables lower MOQ (often 3,000–5,000 units), and still delivers a differentiated bottle with custom brand identity. The limitation is that the bottle shape is shared with other buyers using the same mould, which reduces shape exclusivity.
Option 2: Pooled Production with Import Partners
Some small mezcal brands pool a glass order with import partners or other mezcal producers sharing a common glass supplier, combining volumes to meet the manufacturer's MOQ on a custom or semi-custom mould. This approach requires coordination between brands on timing and payment but can justify a fully custom mould investment across the combined volume. The result is a category-exclusive bottle shape at lower per-brand tooling cost than a fully solo custom investment.
Option 3: Fully Custom Mould for Scaling Brands
For mezcal brands that have established distribution in the US and EU and are producing at volumes sufficient to justify the investment, a fully custom mould delivers maximum differentiation and shape exclusivity. Our complete guide to sourcing custom spirits glass bottles from China covers the full end-to-end process for custom mould development, from 2D drawing to pre-production sample to production run; for mezcal brands at scaling stage, the mould tooling cost is typically recovered within the first two to three production runs at volumes of 5,000+ units per run.
Machine-Made Glass with Artisanal Aesthetic
A common brief from Artesanal and Ancestral mezcal brands is a bottle that "looks hand-blown" while being produced to consistent dimensional tolerances for export compliance and bottling line compatibility. This is achievable through mould design: deliberately asymmetric shoulder profiles, subtle surface texture that mimics hand-tool marks, slightly irregular label panel curvature, and base design that references traditional clay vessels. These elements are built into the mould and produce a convincingly artisanal aesthetic from machine production — consistent enough for regulatory compliance and bottling line qualification, distinctive enough to communicate craft provenance at retail. HUIHE has experience developing mezcal-aesthetic bottle moulds for export brands and can share reference shapes as starting points for new briefs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a tequila importer changes the glass bottle between production runs — does CRT documentation need to be resubmitted?
Any change to the bottle that affects the label — including a change in bottle shape that alters label panel dimensions, or a change in bottle capacity — may require an update to the CRT-certified product documentation and a TTB COLA amendment for US market products. In practice, importers should notify their CRT-certified tequila producer of any planned glass bottle change before the new mould is approved, so that the producer can determine whether updated certification documentation is required. Changes to decoration only (ACL printing colour, embossing detail) that do not affect the bottle's capacity or label area dimensions typically do not trigger a COLA amendment, but this should be confirmed with the TTB COLA team for the specific product. HUIHE provides documentation packages that specify the dimensional and capacity data importers need for COLA submissions.
How can I source artisanal-aesthetic mezcal bottles from a Chinese manufacturer while maintaining NOM compliance?
NOM compliance for mezcal glass packaging is primarily a labelling compliance issue — the glass bottle itself must meet applicable food contact safety standards (EU Regulation 1935/2004 for EU export, FDA guidelines for US export) and provide a label panel that accommodates all mandatory NOM-070 label elements. The "artisanal aesthetic" of the bottle is a design and mould specification question, not a regulatory one. Chinese manufacturers can produce machine-made glass bottles with organic shapes, irregular textures, and hand-craft references that satisfy mezcal brand positioning — as long as the bottle meets food contact compliance and dimensional tolerances for the relevant bottling equipment. The two are not in conflict: regulatory compliance governs the material and labelling, while aesthetic design governs the visual and tactile experience.
What compliance documentation does an EU importer of tequila or mezcal need from their glass packaging supplier?
For EU import, the glass bottle supplier should provide: an EU Declaration of Conformity under Regulation 1935/2004 confirming food contact compliance; a REACH SVHC declaration confirming absence of Substances of Very High Concern above 0.1% w/w (aligned with the ECHA candidate list, currently 253 substances as of February 2026); an ISO 9001 certificate; and, for premium expressions subject to spot testing, a third-party heavy metal migration test report from SGS or equivalent. Note that EU spirits labelling compliance — including GI designation requirements for tequila and mezcal under Regulation 2019/787 — is a separate requirement managed by the importer and label designer, not by the glass supplier. HUIHE provides all standard glass compliance documents as part of the regular shipment package.
Can the same bottle mould be used for both a Blanco and an Añejo expression from the same tequila brand?
Yes, and many tequila brands do exactly this to build visual brand coherence across the expression range — a consistent bottle silhouette with the label design and closure type differentiating the aging category. From a glass specification standpoint, Blanco and Añejo expressions share the same mould and the same bottle dimensions; the differentiation is managed through label colour, decoration elements, and closure choice rather than bottle shape. The practical consideration is glass colour: if the brand uses clear glass for both expressions (allowing the Blanco's clarity and the Añejo's amber colour to show through), a single glass colour specification works for both. If the brand specifies amber glass for Añejo and clear for Blanco, separate glass colour specifications apply to the same mould — which is managed at the glass batch level and adds a small colour-change cost between production runs.
Tell Us Your Category: Tequila, Mezcal, or Both — We'll Map the Right Glass Path
Tequila and mezcal have more glass specification variables than almost any other spirits category pair — two regulatory frameworks, five expression tiers, three production levels, dual-market format requirements, and a wide range of batch sizes from mass-market commercial to ultra-small-batch Ancestral. The right glass specification path depends on which combination of these variables applies to your specific project.
HUIHE works with tequila producers, mezcal brands, importers, and B2B packaging teams at every tier and production level. Share the following with us, and we will identify the most appropriate specification path — stock mould, semi-custom, or fully custom — along with the compliance documentation framework relevant to your target market:
Category: Tequila (Blanco / Reposado / Añejo / Extra Añejo) or Mezcal (Mezcal / Artesanal / Ancestral)
100% Agave or mixto (tequila); agave variety (mezcal)
Target market: US (750mL TTB), EU (700mL), Mexico domestic, travel retail, or multi-market
Estimated annual volume and bottles per production batch
Positioning tier and retail price point (which determines the glass weight and decoration level we recommend)
Any existing bottle reference, brand brief, or mould drawing you have available
Max has spent over 15 years at the intersection of spirits bottle design and B2B glass packaging supply, having worked directly with distilleries, brand owners, and glass manufacturers across Europe and Asia. With deep knowledge of premium spirits bottle production — from mould design and glass weight specifications to coating and closure compatibility — Max brings a buyer-side perspective grounded in real supply chain experience.
