Herradura Directo de Alambique

Herradura was, for a time, the only 100% agave tequila regularly imported to the United States.

Accounts commonly credit entertainers Bing Crosby and Phil Harris with helping bring it to the U.S. market.

Crosby wanted to share this find with his friends, mostly other show-business types. Soon, many other Americans were on board with this tequila.

While the Herradura brand name was introduced in 1928, the original distillery was established in 1870 in Amatitán, Jalisco—part of the region widely regarded as the birthplace of tequila.

In 2001, the Romo family began bringing the brand into the modern era with industrial production techniques, including a diffuser, that changed its original profile.

However, they kept the historic facility intact, including the tahona and in-ground stone fermentation vats. This was a gift to true tequila lovers and history buffs. Contemporary visitors to Herradura can walk through the older facility and see its history laid out before them.

Herradura is credited with introducing the first reposado tequila. Its extra añejo expression, Selección Suprema, helped inspire the formal creation of the extra añejo class in 2005.

Herradura was family-owned up until 2007, when it was sold to Brown-Forman.

It’s fair to say the tequila world we know today was greatly influenced by Herradura.

As someone who appreciates craft tequila, I can’t say I was expecting much from modern-day Herradura’s still-strength tequila. That said, this was better than I expected.

The aroma requires a moment to open up, as the tequila is high-proof. At 55% ABV, it is bottled at the maximum strength permitted under Mexico’s regulations.

That said, once it opens up and oxygenates, there is a nice aroma. I get raw agave, citrus, bitter orange rind, some green vegetation, herbal notes, and pepper.

On the palate, I’m finding several differences from the aromas. I get aggressive black pepper, more alcohol, some mint, bitterness, cinnamon, herbal notes, and cocoa.

Herradura Directo de Alambique was produced in relatively limited runs in 2012 and 2015, and now it is back in 2026.

For a big-brand tequila that doesn’t deliver me the cleanest profile, I find this palatable. However, I believe that if I drank this all night, it would give me my first hangover in more than three years.

More from Herradura: All of our Herradura coverage, including reviews, lists, scores, and more.