Five rules, no exceptions.
We accept no payment, sponsorship, travel or product placement from any producer, importer or distributor.
No commercial relationship of any kind can create, change, protect or remove a score or a Verified Organic mark. A score is settled at the tasting table; the mark is settled by a certifier's register. Neither is for sale.
Reporting that begins elsewhere is summarized, credited and linked. We never republish another outlet's work as our own.
Clearly labeled, visually distinct, never adjacent to a score, and never from a producer.
If anyone involved in a piece or a tasting has a connection to the subject, the piece says so, and they do not score it.
A publication that scores other people's products has to be able to say who it is connected to. Everyone who writes for this desk or sits at a tasting is required to disclose, in writing and before the work starts, any of the following in relation to a brand, house, importer, distributor or retailer we cover:
Anyone with a disclosed connection is recused from scoring that house and from editing coverage of it, and the connection is stated in any piece that touches the subject. Disclosure is required whether or not the person believes the connection affects their judgement.
Connections disclosed to the desk are listed here. As of Friday, September 11, 2026, the register is empty: no member of the desk has reported an ownership stake, a commercial relationship or a paid connection to any producer, importer or distributor we cover. If you believe a connection exists that we have not disclosed, write to editor@tequilawatch.com and we will look into it and publish what we find.
How a score is set · Corrections and challenges for brands · Terms of use · The correction log