On the foothills of the Tequila Volcano with its rich, volcanic, and therefore highly arable soils, you’ll find endless rows upon rows of the spiky, blue-hued plant.Īfter growing for seven years, swathes of the blue agave plants are harvested. Each shoot requires roughly seven years of maturation, and it’s certainly worth the wait.įortunately, José Cuervo possesses the largest agave holdings in the world, and they’re perfectly located, too: How José Cuervo tequila is madeĬultivating agave plants, whose hearts or ‘piñas’ are the core ingredient of tequila, is definitely a long game. In 1873, the first export of three glass bottles was shipped across the Mexican border. However, prior to the revelation of glass bottles, the tequila was housed in rope-covered jugs called damajuanas, before moving on to glass for ease of international transportation. The subsequent boom (it was hugely popular from the get-go) led to the company pioneering individual bottling of the spirit, as opposed to larger, unwieldy barrels. The first barrel of José Cuervo tequila arrived in California from San Blas in 1800. One for the bucket list, we think! Barrel to bottle The two-hour journey steams steadily through fields of blue agave and under the shadows of the numerous surrounding volcanoes. Thus, Tequila, Jalisco is where you’ll stumble across the La Rojeña distillery (which you can visit and tour around), which produces José Cuervo tequila.įor a totally integrative experience, you can even travel on the Cuervo Express on the 60km journey between Guadalajara and Tequila town. The sprawling town lies on the foothills of the dormant Tequila Volcano and produces 99% of all tequila on the market. Therein the state of Jalisco lies a town named… Tequila, of course.
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If you spotted the inconsistency there (“Um, why is it called tequila and not Jalisco, then?”), The legislation, named Destination of Origin, dictates for tequila to be called tequila, it must be made in Jalisco, Mexico. In 1974, tequila gained the same prestige. Origin mattersĪs we know, there is a requirement that Champagne, Cognac and Scotch whiskey be produced in specific regions in order to be classified as such. In 1758, José Antonio de Cuervo y Valdés was given a writ of land ownership by King Fernand VI to plant agave on his lands for producing tequila. Of course, it helps if that recipe is for one of the world’s most popular tequilas. The business is currently run by the Beckmann family, who are direct descendants of Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo.Įvidently, ‘keeping it in the family’ can be a recipe for success. (For those not yet in the know, the blue agave succulent plant is the raw plant which is distilled, to then become tequila).Īfter receiving the go-ahead from King Carlos VI of Spain, the Cuervo distillery began to legally produce tequila commercially.Īnd so, it is said, the tequila industry was born. His family had been cultivating the flowering blue agave plant on their land since 1758.
#Margarita bottle jose cuervo license
In fact, Jose Maria Guadalupe Cuervo y Montana received the first license to produce and distribute tequila by royal decree. Like many of the best and most well-regarded alcohol companies, José Cuervo was and remains a family-run business. ShOP NOW José Cuervo history: The beginning of Casa Cuervo