Casa Loy "Piedra y Agave" Blanco 49

When I see a family name as part of a tequila brand name, to me, it generally means the brand has been making tequila for a long time. Historically, family-operated tequila brands and distilleries have added strength that has led to more success. But the Loy family’s development of their brand came from another angle.

The Loys have decades of history in the food industry, including livestock. In 1992, Don Manuel Loy steered the family toward agave farming, though his ultimate dream was to build a distillery.

Manuel has always believed in transparency, simplicity, and doing good in the community, which are strengths and hallmarks of Casa Loy to this day. After Manuel retired, his son Luis Loy was able to complete his father’s dream of building the distillery in 2021. His son, Luis Loy Jr., is also involved in pushing the brand toward new innovations. The team is further complemented by Maestro Tequilero Leopoldo Solís’ 50 years of experience.

The Loys began their first tequila production in December 2021 in their impressive distillery in Los Altos. By early 2022, they had received their official license, NOM 1633. The distillery, Tequilera de Los Altos Casa Loy, is now home to the family brand and a number of contract tequilas they produce.

Some tequila connoisseurs have voiced concerns about the use of a diffuser at the distillery, saying that it strips flavor and is not an authentic production technique associated with craft brands. To allay these concerns, Casa Loy’s new line, Piedra y Agave, uses completely authentic production methods.

With the flavor they have developed, they absolutely hit the mark. I was lucky enough to be at Casa Loy in March 2025 and was able to taste the very early development of Piedra y Agave right from the still. It was impressive then, and more so now.

Piedra y Agave is made with family-owned, maturity-selected Los Altos agave. Production includes brick ovens and no-water-added tahona extraction. Seven-day open-air fermentation with fibers mixed in, leveraging proprietary yeast developed from the surrounding environment to provide a huge citrus note. Copper and stainless-steel stills round out the distillation process.

The team at Casa Loy then went a step further and created a U.S.-based group of connoisseurs, including myself, to give them feedback and dial in the flavors.

Nose: earth / hints of apple / lime / grapefruit / minerals

Taste: sweet cooked agave / very mild cinnamon / hint of vanilla / BIG citrus notes / green apple / tangerine / orange / anise / very mild pepper / spearmint / minerals

Finish: light viscosity with a watery wet feeling, but still coats and clings to the palate well / agave and fruity sweetness continue through the whole sip, meeting up with a touch of spearmint on the last swallow / clean and enjoyable aftertaste

Casa Loy’s new 49% ABV blanco is very delicious and quite reasonably priced for such great quality. I highly recommend giving Piedra y Agave a try.