El Tequileño was founded in 1959 by Don Jorge Salles Cuervo and named after the town of Tequila, in which it remains a mainstay.
Don Jorge distilled for Jose Cuervo before forming his own brand. El Tequileño continues to be produced by the family, now under master distiller Jorge Antonio “Tony” Salles, following Paradise Spirits’ acquisition of the brand in 2017.
El Tequileño is one of the few brands to operate out of its own dedicated distillery (NOM 1108). And despite the distillery being located in the famous town of Tequila in the Valley, they truck in agave from the Highlands for their tequila.
Agave is cooked using massive autoclaves, a process the brand pioneered in 1959 for slow cooking that aimed to mimic the evenly cooked profile delivered by stone ovens.
The cooked agave is then crushed using a roller mill, fermented in cement tanks open to the nearby 150-year-old mango trees, distilled in copper pot stills, and bottled at 50% ABV.
Water can be such a big part of the distillation process, and that’s the case with El Tequileño. They source water from a natural spring flowing from the extinct Volcán de Tequila directly through their distillery, one of only four distilleries that have access to this natural resource.
El Tequileño ensures all their tequilas are exposed to oak, even their blancos. Their still-strength blanco is rested in large oak vats for a very short period of about six days.
Aroma: Smells minty, earthy, herbal, and slightly medicinal—like sharp eucalyptus, along with black pepper, minerals, and pine.
Flavor: Black pepper, alcohol, minerals, sweet agave, earth, jalapeño, citrus, and anise.
Finish: Peppery and mineral medium-long finish, with slight bitter notes and a minty-sweet ending.
El Tequileño is a brand worth checking out. I thoroughly enjoyed my distillery visit right in the town of Tequila and regularly stock the brand’s lineup at my home.
While all of the brand’s tequilas are worthy of sipping, I typically use their blancos for cocktails and enjoy the aged expressions neat. Their mixto Blanco with Mexican Coke makes a classic batanga, their Platinum Blanco delivers a mellow margarita, and this Still Strength Blanco results in a nice tequila mojito.
NOM | 1108 |
|---|---|
Agave | Jalisco (Los Altos) |
Cooking | High pressure autoclave |
Extraction | Roller mill |
Water | Natural spring water |
Fermentation | Open-air cement tank |
Still | Copper pot |
Age | 6 days in large oak pipones |
ABV | 50% |
Tequila Report Score: 84
84 points out of 100 (4.2 out of 5 points)
Price $64.99
More from El Tequileño: All of our El Tequileño coverage, including reviews, lists, scores, and more.
