There’s no denying that Individuals love tequila. Over the previous 20 years, it has steadily elevated in gross sales to develop into the nation’s second best-selling spirit simply behind vodka. And our stateside infatuation with tequila shortly translated into admiration for different agave spirits like mezcal, which is predicted to proceed rising by 10 p.c year-over-year via 2027.
However our love for agave has finished extra than simply catapult gross sales — it’s additionally instantly contributed to a surge of tourism in each Tequila and the bigger state of Jalisco, the place the vast majority of tequila manufacturing takes place. Since 2019, tourism to the area has climbed by 19 p.c, with thirsty vacationers wanting to get their arms on distilled spirits straight from the supply. In Oaxaca, the heartland of mezcal manufacturing, annual visits have skyrocketed by 77 p.c since 2020.
Regardless of the recognition of tequila and mezcal, for a lot of in Mexico, manufacturing stays a tradition-based apply handed from era to era. And whereas there may be over 100 tequila distilleries in Jalisco, there are solely a few dozen accepting guests and prepared to host excursions; you possibly can count on even fewer in Oaxaca and different mezcal-producing areas.
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However that doesn’t imply there are not any distilleries value visiting in Mexico. Actually, it’s fairly the alternative. From driving behind vehicles in agave fields to portfolio tastings with mezcaleros in their very own properties, listed here are 4 of the most effective distillery excursions in Mexico.
Tequila Atanasio
Tequila Atanasio was based in 1995 by the Landeros brothers, sons of agave farmers who reworked unsold crops into drinkable distillates at a small distillery in San Pedro de los Landeros. Whereas the model was initially often called El Tío Atanasio 103, when the distillery obtained its certification from the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) in 2017, its title was shortened to Atanasio.
The Jalisco distillery affords three completely different experiences, every between two and 5 hours lengthy. The shortest, often called the Agavero Expertise, takes guests out into the close by agave fields for an opportunity to witness how the crops are cared for and harvested. Then, patrons are given the chance to plant their very personal agave earlier than heading again to the distillery for a tour and a guided tasting.
For a extra hands-on go to, take a look at the Jornalero Expertise, by which friends journey out to the agave fields, harvest and plant agaves, and revel in tacos cooked on a conventional comal. After breakfast, friends then head again to the distillery for a strolling tour, which ends with a guided tasting of your complete Atanasio portfolio.
The Tequilero Expertise is the longest providing and might solely be booked via personal group reservations. The five-hour tour begins with breakfast on the distillery adopted by an in-depth dialogue on tequila distillation guided by grasp tequilero René Carranza, who additionally supplies samples of distillates at each part of the method. There’s additionally a visit to the agave fields, a full distillery tour, a guided tasting, and even the prospect to complete a distillation run earlier than bottling and labeling your personal personalised bottle.
Tequila Fortaleza
For a glance behind the scenes at what it takes to create considered one of bartenders’ most beloved tequilas, don’t miss a visit to Fortaleza’s distillery. Based in 2005 by Guillermo Erickson Sauza, all Fortaleza tequilas are produced utilizing ancestral methods like slow-cooking agaves, tahona crushing, and distilling via copper stills. However whilst you may acknowledge the tequila as Fortaleza, don’t be stunned once you see bottles labeled beneath a special title in your go to. The model was initially based as Los Abuelos however needed to change its title earlier than exporting to the U.S. resulting from a trademark battle with rum model Ron Abuelo.
In Mexico, the model continues to be offered as Los Abuelos, which is mirrored within the title of its two tour choices. On the “Vive Abuelo” tour, guests will go on a guided exploration of the manufacturing facility to see every step of the distillation course of, together with ageing and bottling. The hour-and-a- half tour ends with a tasting of 4 Fortaleza expressions within the hand-hewn cave, Cava La Fortaleza. The “Vive Bisabuelo” expertise is basically the identical, however runs about an hour longer and features a hike as much as Fortaleza’s scenic viewpoint overlooking the Tequila Valley beneath. Each excursions might be booked via Tequila Fortaleza’s web site.
Jose Cuervo
Fábrica La Rojeña may be a business facility, however it’s value a go to to see how one of many world’s largest tequila manufacturers is produced. Jose Cuervo proudly declares its manufacturing facility to be the oldest distillery within the Americas, and it’s extensively credited with encouraging tourism to the area about 15 years in the past when the distillery’s customer experiences have been expanded.
The distillery affords 9 tour choices starting from a fast 45-minute go to of the manufacturing rooms to an in-depth, two-hour Connoisseur Tequila Maker expertise by which everybody leaves with their very own private mix. Some excursions conclude with a chocolate and tequila pairing whereas others are centered on the Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia lineup or Maestro Dobel, which, like Cuervo, is owned by the Beckmann household.
For a extra on-the-go exploration of Tequila, guests may additionally contemplate a journey on the Jose Cuervo Specific, a full-sized classic prepare traversing from Guadalajara to Tequila. The 12-hour journey takes passengers on a scenic journey via the nation’s huge agave fields and even makes time for a pit cease to discover the fields and watch a harvest. On board, there are 4 cabins — Specific, Premium Plus, Diamond, and Elite — every providing various ranges of meals service, cocktails, and an academic tasting. On arrival in Tequila, everybody on board is given a tour of Fábrica La Rojeña after which entertained with a conventional Mexican present.
Mezcal Lalocura
Whereas there aren’t many tequila distilleries permitting guests, there are even fewer mezcal manufacturers that welcome vacationers into their manufacturing amenities, primarily as a result of the vast majority of mezcal manufacturing takes place in distillers’ private properties. However one mezcal distillery you possibly can go to is Mezcal Lalocura in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca, owned by Eduardo “Lalo” Javier Ángeles Carreño, a fourth-generation mezcalero.
There, guests are supplied with a guided tour of the power and surrounding farm, the place Carreño produces the model’s quite a few expressions. (His house is simply throughout the best way.) The ambiance on the distillery is wealthy with custom, and guests are granted a peek at agaves cooking in wood-fired pits, in addition to the natural farming that takes place on the 40-plus-acre property. Guests may count on to style a mess of not simply finalized mezcal, but additionally uncut distillates, experimental batches, and puntas.
Lalocura is open most days of the week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. native time, however guests should first e-mail the account listed on the model’s web site to coordinate. It’s additionally extraordinarily useful for at the least one member of your group to talk Spanish, because the Lalocura workforce speaks restricted English.
