Few spirits are as shrouded in myth and mystery as tequila—and for good reason.

This spicy and instantly recognizable Mexican spirit has been around for centuries, which is plenty of time for a few good tall tales to surface.

Despite its common association with rabble rousers like salt and lime or in ’70s one-hit wonders like the Tequila Sunrise, this agave spirit has stood the test of (lots of) time and is as respected among top bartenders as bourbon and Scotch. Even George Clooney put his hard-earned money toward starting a brand of the stuff.

And like bourbon, more officially known as America’s Native Spirit, tequila distillers have a stringent set of rules they must abide by. Those include ensuring that each bottle is made in the proper location—from the correct ingredients—and that reposado and añejo versions are aged for just the right amount of time. But, as they say, Rome (or in this case Tequila, Jalisco) wasn’t built in a day—or even a millennium.