LALO Blanco

LALO Tequila is a collaboration between Eduardo “Lalo” González (grandson of Don Julio González) and David Carballido, who’ve been friends since childhood.

Lalo and David created a brand that would honor the family’s tequila craft.

LALO is one of the fastest-growing (and now most popular) tequila brands in the United States. They recently merged with Tito’s Vodka brand, which should put LALO in even more bars, restaurants, and retail location in the United States, and beyond.

There have been a lot of questions about Tito’s impact on the LALO tequila recipe and processes, so I reached out to Lalo González, and this is what he said about the merger:

“We’ve been friends with Tito for a long time. He has seen the LALO success story in Austin, across Texas and the US, and there was a desire from Tito to expand his portfolio with a brand like ours. We were also looking to keep growing the brand beyond the US market, and this was a great opportunity for both sides. We didn’t want to be part of a public company with boards and executives driving the future of LALO. We wanted to be part of a privately owned company, owned by a friend. We wanted to still be part of the company we created. It was a perfect match.”

Lalo has stated that there are no plans to change the formulation of the tequila, which is crucial because, unlike almost every other brand, LALO only produces blanco tequilas.

Their flagship expression is this core Blanco at 40% ABV. They also make a high-proof Blanco at 50% ABV, and they previously made a 54% ABV Blanco.

LALO is produced at Grupo Tequilero (NOM 1468), in The Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. They use only three ingredients: mature Highlands agave, deep-well water, and Champagne yeast. The agave is cooked in stone brick ovens, roller mill crushed, distilled in copper pots and aerated.

Nose: Up front, there are vegetal and earthy notes, pepper and anise. As it opens, the nose evolves with aromas of citrus, cinnamon, orange, dried fruit and mint. 

Palate: Cooked agave is prominent on the palate, along with citrus, cinnamon, pepper and anise.

Finish: The finish is short to medium, leaving me wanting for more.

Overall: The palate is less complex than the nose, but still delicious.

This expression makes a nice sipper and is also very good in cocktails. LALO Tequila Blanco sells for about $40, and is available widely. It’s a better choice than most pervasively findable tequilas you see in the marketplace.