The regions specified by the CRT for the cultivation of Agave tequilana Weber azul are Jalisco, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacán and Tamaulipas. Around 90% originates from the Jalisco region – the main cultivation area for tequila. At altitudes ranging from 800 to more than 2,500 metres around Guadalajara – the capital of the Jalisco province and thus the capital of tequila – the Agave tequilana Weber azul grows from which tequila is produced. The high-quality blue agave plants are only ripe enough to be harvested 8–12 years after cultivation.

To guarantee the best quality and set it apart from other spirits, the Mexican government resolved to protect its national drink from poor quality imitations by setting up its own authority to monitor compliance with these quality standards, the CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila). Only destilerías which meet the strict requirements relating to quality and origin receive their individual control numbers – the Número de Orígen Mejicano (NOM) and the Denominación de Orígen Tequila (D.O.T.).