The town of Tequila is only about an hour from Guadalajara, and there are many different distilleries to visit.  There are many tours, easily arranged but some seemed pricey to me.  I don’t drink as much as when I was younger, and I don’t like taking tour buses.  So I just did a solo day trip to one distillery, Tres Mujeres.  Even though I had toured a much fancier tequila distillery—with a Mariachi band—years before, I appreciated the simple working nature of this one.  There weren’t any tour buses, so I had the place almost to myself.  The guides spoke excellent English and answered all my questions.  

These days tequila is made in towns outside Tequila and in several states outside Jalisco, but this dusty farm town is the best place to get a sense of the history.  Tequila is a fusion of Spanish winemaking and native brewed agave wine, pulque.  There are many types of mezcal, but tequila is usually more refined and always made with blue agave in designated areas.  

Reading is not the right way to learn about tequila.  You really need to smell the various processes and then taste the different products to understand.  That’s the best part about coming here, and you can bring back a nice souvenir.  

I’m giving only three stars, because my expectations of a world heritage site are very high.  Since there are many different distilleries (and tour agents) operating at different standards, your experience here may vary considerably.  I didn’t think much of the nearby hotels or restaurants, and I think you’re better off in Guadalajara.  It’s a good site to visit, just not the most beautiful or well organized.  I go into some more detail on my blog.  Do your own research, and plan the right way for you to visit.