This platinum-and-gold bottle fetched nearly a quarter-million dollars at auction in Mexico City last year. The spirit that fills it is a triple-distilled mix of 8-, 10- and 12-year-old agave plants and is produced by Hacienda La Capilla Distillery in Los Altos, Jalisco. Ley .925 CEO Fernando Altamirano says the liquor is aged in barrels whose provenance is “top secret.”
TRAVEL TIP: For the luxury traveler touring the tequila region, Altamirano recommends the Camino Real Hotel in Guadalajara. This garden oasis has been host to numerous Latin American leaders, including the Mexican president, and its newly opened cantina-restaurant, Maria Bonita, features fine regional cuisine and a wide selection of tequilas.
For more information: www.ley925.com and www.caminoreal.com
Austria native Martin Grassl moved to Mexico in 1991 to establish the Porfidio distillery. He says his rigorous distillation methods, which involve a gas chromatographer, separate the “head” and “tail” of the spirit, leaving the “heart” of the refined liquid. The Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio is aged in both virgin French limousin oak and new Italian acacia wood, and housed in a hand-blown glass bottle. Only 2,000 bottles of Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio are produced each year—and most are exported to Japan.
TRAVEL TIP: The Porfidio distillery, in Puerta Vallarta, is open for tours, and the luxury accommodation of choice is the nearby Four Seasons Punta Mita. Grassl also recommends Mariscos Tino’s for fine seafood dining.
For more information: www.tequilaporfidio.com and www.fourseasons.com
“If a high-roller in Vegas says ‘Send me a bottle of tequila,’ this is the default, right here,” says Tres Agaves’ Eric Rubin of Herradura’s ultra-premium product. From the legendary producer who offered the first aged tequila in the 1960s, this creamy, amber-colored spirit has a smooth texture and a flavor of dry wood and cinnamon.
TRAVEL TIP: Frequent travelers to Jalisco recommend Guadalajara’s Quinta Real Hotel for luxury accommodations.
For more information: www.herradura.com/ing/home.html and www.quintareal.com
Aged in white-oak casks, this extra-añejo comes from legendary producer Don Julio Gonzalez, who founded the operation in Atotonilco when he was 17. The elegant glass decanter is accented by silver agave leaves.
TRAVEL TIP: Don Julio is now owned by Cuervo, the world’s largest producer of tequila. The Cuervo La Rojeña distillery is a magnificent, picturesque destination and a common stop for tequila pilgrims. In addition to the regular, public tours of “Mundo Cuervo,” a private VIP experience is available and includes a “professional tequila tasting.”
For more information: www.mundocuervo.com
Patrón is widely credited for jump-starting the high-end tequila boom in the U.S. in the 1990s. Its ultra-premium product, Gran Patrón Platinum, is sourced from highlands agave, where the volcanic ash gives it a distinctive taste that the company’s VP of Marketing Matt Carroll describes as “fresh, buttery, citrus-smooth.” The crystal bottle is housed in a maple box.
TRAVEL TIP: On the weekend, buy a VIP ticket for the Tequila Express train, for a festive daylong tour of distilleries in tequila country that includes music, food and—if you just can’t wait to get there—some sipping tequila for the ride.
For more information: www.patronspirits.com and www.tequila express.com.mx
American financier Gary Shansby says he teamed up with Mexico’s Partida family to “build a brand around the heritage of Mexico.” Having received high praise for its bottlings (including the “double gold” award for its reposado at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition), Partida is now taking its extra-añejo expression, Elegante, out of the barrel after three years and four months of aging.
TRAVEL TIP: Check out Guadalajara’s Villa Ganz for luxurious privacy; its 10 guest rooms are spacious and elegant.
For more information: www.mexicoboutiquehotels.com/villaganz and www.PartidaTequila.com
Ambroso is taking pre-orders for its summer ’07 ultra-premium release, aged in French oak for five years and then another year in port barrels. The bottle is a hand-blown, 18th-century replica decanter.
TRAVEL TIP: The Intercontinental Hotel in Guadalajara makes a comfortable launching point for Tala (23 miles to the west), the home of the Ambroso operation, and the hotel’s lobby bar features a healthy selection of tequilas.
For more information: www.asombrosotequila.com and www.ichotelsgroup.com
Aging in charred French oak barrels gives 1800’s rare extra-añejo a rich, toasted flavor. For each production, a different Latin American artist is commissioned to design the packaging.
TRAVEL TIP: Visit the Santo Coyote Restaurant in the fashionable west side of Guadalajara. Sit in the lush gardened patio and choose a sipping tequila to go with the grilled ribs with tamarind adobo.
For more information: www.1800tequila.com
Produced by the famous Fonesca family, one of Mexico’s largest holders of agave, this ultra-premium tequila is a blend of three-, four- and five-year aged spirits and is bottled in a special crystal decanter.
TRAVEL TIP: Visit La Capilla Bar in Tequila, home of the legendary bartender Don Javier. San Francisco-based tequila expert Julio Bermejo, of Tommy’s Restuarant and World’s Best Tequila Bar, writes that Capilla is “Tequila’s most famous bar” and praises the generous spirit of the 84-year-old proprietor.
For more information: Tequilña, S.A. de C.V, Tel: +52-38-27-02-49
This extra-añejo, produced by the Casa San Matias distillery, comes in a distinctive “sun king” bottle designed by Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante. According to the American Mixologist, a beverage-industry newsletter, “The bouquet is soft and slightly herbal and its palate is imbued with vanilla, caramel and spice. Rey Sol has a classic warm and savory finish.”
TRAVEL TIP: Gustavo Hernandez, export manager of the respected Arette brand, based in the town of Tequila, recommends Guadalajara’s Nude Restaurant for upscale “international food and a nice bar.”
For more information: www.marsalle.com and www.nuderestaurant.com.mx