OUR PROCESS
WE CRAFT OUR TEQUILA BY HAND AND HEART
Don Jorge Salles Cuervo is a descendant to the most renowned of the tequila families. His deeprooted passion for quality and taste led him to the Highlands of Jalisco where Blue Weber Agave is naturally sweeter. He also knew the importance of water and need for rich minerals to distill a premium spirit. Don Jorge set on a quest to combine these critical elements and make them the cornerstones of El Tequileño.
HIGHLAND AGAVES
We harvest only the finest Blue Weber Agave from the premium growing region, Los Altos de Jalisco, that is naturally sweeter, fruity and floral!
COOKING
Don Jorge Salles Cuervo pioneered the use of steam pressure autoclaves in 1959. We carefully cook our agave for optimal results. Extra attention is taken to remove the cogollo of the agave before cooking, this is a bitter part of the plant which can negatively impact the final profile of your tequila.
MILLING AND VOLCANIC SPRING WATER
Pure volcanic spring water is used throughout the milling process to extract the natural sugars from the cooked agave. This mineral rich spring water flows from the extinct “Volcán de Tequila” directly through our distillery. We are one of only 4 distilleries that has access to this natural resource which contributes to the smooth balanced flavor found in El Tequileño.
OPEN TANK FERMENTATION
The agave juice is fermented in open concrete vats that allow fermentation to be influenced by 150-year-old mango trees offering hints of tropical fruits in our tequilas.
DISTILLATION
All our tequilas are distilled exclusively in copper pot stills. We use this type of still since copper better removes unwanted impurities, resulting in a pure tequila that is full of character.
AGING
All our tequilas are exposed to wood barrels to round out the taste and provide a long finish. Gran Tequilero, Antonio Salles ages each expression to perfection using a variety of wood types and barrel sizes.
MADE WITH
PASSION
We’ve stayed true to who we are from the time we got our footing until today – creating a tequila we are truly passionate about. We lean on our history and tradition to create exquisite tequilas.
SUSTAINABILITY
PROTECTING OUR PLACE MATTERS
Our environment is key to our success, so we work hard to give back to it. We have our own compost site where 98% of our organic residuals from production are recycled to create a natural fertilizer used to enrich the next generation of agave.
