In the Highlands of Jalisco- specifically the red-soiled expanse of Los Altos - there is a particular kind of near-silence that exists only at 5:00 AM. It is a heavy, humid quiet, broken only by the rhythmic metallic "clink" of coas being sharpened and pencas being trimmed. For the jimadores harvesting agave by headlamp, it’s just another Tuesday. And it is also the "dreamland" that gives the tequila brand Tierra de Ensueño “land of dreams” its name.
And it’s makers themselves are a group of up-and-coming dreamers differentiating in a tequila world that’s too often a sea of sameness.
Sergio Cruz is best known for his work in developing and producing many craft tequila brands at Sergio Vivanco and Associates - NOM 1414 - in The Highlands of Jalisco.
Unlike many master distillers in the tequila world, he doesn’t own a distillery or have a multi-generational family history in the business. Instead, Sergio is one of the leading new voices in the industry. These 'young guns' have emerged in recent years, making a significant impact in the craft tequila world with innovative and experimental approaches to fermentation, distillation, and aging of tequila.
Sergio is in high demand and often jokes that there needs to be “three Sergios” to handle all his responsibilities. Many new brands want Sergio to make their tequila, but he often declines, especially if the brand is not produced at NOM 1414.
Tierra de Ensueño is different, which was the attraction. “The uniqueness of this project really interested me,” says Cruz. “The belief in my partners and our shared vision to build something together - a true collaboration. It’s an opportunity for me to do something totally different and a new challenge, and I’m having a lot of fun. I’m really excited for the future of Ensueño. It’s a brand I think will do great things.”
Cruz isn’t alone. In just 18 months of sales, Ensueño has become a sought-after favorite of in-the-know tequila consumers, racking up awards and recognition, as well as frequent sellouts of their small batch releases.
A Very Unusual Approach to Tequila
The hallmark of the brand is its barrel-rested blanco. By resting the tequila for a period of weeks in 'extra-rare wheated bourbon casks,' they create a liquid that is neither a traditional blanco nor a full reposado.
The wheated bourbon casks are a specific choice. Unlike standard rye-heavy bourbon barrels that can impart a spicy, sharp edge, wheated casks are known for a softer, creamier profile. This allows the bright, citrusy notes of the Highland agave to shine through while being complemented by a subtle vanilla and oak finish.
The profile is meticulously managed by another talented newcomer to the world of fine tequila, Oscar Vasquez. He pulls samples from individual barrels—not for a massive blend, but for a 'single barrel' approach that honors the unique character of each cask.
“Every single time we put tequila inside a barrel, we are making a process of extraction,” he explains. “We are looking for the balance between the blanco and the small flavors of the barrel.”
Trained as a chemist, Vasquez worked for more than 10 years for the famous Camarena family before striking out on his own as a freelance tequilero. Now responsible for several innovative craft brands, Vasquez—like Cruz—does not come from a prominent tequila family.
“Because, with all the respect that we have for the industry, it's easier when you jump into this (tequila) world if you are the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh generation,” says Vasquez. “For better or worse, Sergio and I don't have that legacy. We are the first in our families to jump into this industry and try to make a name for ourselves."
Vasquez emphasizes the blank canvas that Ensueño offers Cruz and himself. "It’s an opportunity to be disruptive, to try to make something different, because for better or worse, we are not following the previous names of the tequila world."
Meet the Maestros
In the tequila industry, the role of the "Maestro" is almost always a solo performance. Historically, a brand is guided by the singular vision of a single Master Distiller who oversees the entire lifespan of the spirit, from agave selection to the final cut of the still. It is a world governed by heritage and, often, significant territorialism; having two heavyweights like Sergio Cruz and Oscar Vasquez share the same laboratory is essentially the spirit-world equivalent of two Michelin-starred chefs sharing the same burner. Usually, if a brand has two names of this caliber attached, one is a "consultant" and the other is the "producer," but at Tierra de Ensueño, the hierarchy has been replaced by a circle.
This partnership represents a rare alignment of two distinct disciplines: the technical precision of distillation and the chemical artistry of blending. While Sergio Cruz brings the foundational mastery of the still - ensuring the Highland agave is transformed into a clean, robust spirit at Hacienda El Olvido - Oscar Vasquez applies a chemist’s eye to the nuance of the barrel-resting and the final assembly.
Every batch must satisfy two of the most discerning palates in Mexico before it ever touches a bottle. By working as equity partners alongside their U.S. sales and marketing counterpart Matt Robertson, and the distillery itself, they have created a collaborative model that prioritizes the liquid over the ego- a rarity in an industry often driven by singular legacies and family dynasties.
Oscar Vasquez and Sergio Cruz, at Hacienda El Olvido
Brand architect and co-founder Matt Robertson is both a dreamer and an outsider. His journey to the red soil of the Highlands didn't begin in a distillery but in a small town in Maine. "My career has focused on marketing, living in places from Hawaii to Miami to New York," Robertson explains. "But the first time I went to Los Altos, it was hard not to be struck by the place. It’s special."
The brand’s name, which translates to 'Land of Dreams' in English, represents this shared theme among the founders. Robertson proclaims, "We never stop dreaming, we never settle, we’re always searching for the new, looking for ways to make our tequila even better."
The genesis of Tierra de Ensueño was a four-year journey of obstacles and experimentation. Finding a production home for the brand was a challenge. They were rejected by two distilleries because their requirements were too inefficient for a standard production line. Robertson says, "Most distilleries want you to use their yeast, their process, and their timeline. We wanted to tinker."
They finally found sanctuary at Hacienda El Olvido (NOM 1580) in Jesús Maria, owned by Doña Maria and her son Francisco Lopez. It was, at the time, a quiet distillery with 3,000 acres of estate-grown agave and a family that was willing to say 'yes' to the unconventional.
“In other places, you are a guest. At El Olvido, they gave us the keys to the laboratory,” recalls Vasquez.
Stone ovens at Hacienda El Olvido - NOM 1580
The Five-Way Equity Collective
It’s very unusual for a tequila brand to have two leading minds working cooperatively on production. And it’s almost unheard of to barrel age every blanco. But the organizational chart at Ensueño is also far outside the norm. In the standard tequila model, unless the brand is owned by the distillery, the brand owner is the 'client' and the distiller is a 'manufacturer' who is paid a fee to produce someone else's vision.
Tierra de Ensueño flipped the script by creating a five-way equity partnership. This isn't a mere collaboration; it is a shared business venture where the brand architects, the consultants and problem-solvers, the master distiller, the master blender, and the distillery itself all own a piece of the future. This structure ensures that every decision, from the harvest of a single agave plant to the final blend, is made with long-term objectives in mind.
The Maestro (Sergio Cruz): A titan in the industry known for his technical precision operating as the master distiller at Sergio Vivanco & Associates (NOM 1414). For Cruz, Ensueño was a chance to step outside his usual space and experiment even more.
The Chemist (Oscar Vasquez): A protégé of the legendary Camarena family and a chemist by trade. Vasquez is the 'translator' who turns technical mastery into a balanced, repeatable masterpiece.
The Architect (Matt Robertson): The marketing veteran who provides the vision, ensuring the brand’s soul matches the liquid.
The Problem Solvers (Tequila Partners): Ace tequila consultants with limitless contacts in the region, and a passion for tequila made right.
The Home (Hacienda El Olvido): Represented by Francisco Lopez and his mother, the distillery is not just a landlord; they are core partners providing the 3,000 acres of estate-grown agave.
“This is a house brand of El Olvido,” Robertson explains. “If we win, we all win.“ That alignment of incentives changes everything. The distillery can embrace the inefficiencies that quality demanded: meticulous barrel selection, constant tasting, micro-experimentation, and the patience to get things right rather than fast.
The Mozart Method and the Science of Fermentation
Certainly the barrel resting of blancos creates unusual flavors in Ensueño’s offerings. But that’s not their only innovation. While most brands use a single yeast strain to ensure a predictable, identical flavor, Ensueño uses a three-yeast blend. This includes a specific champagne yeast and the naturally occurring ambient yeast found at the distillery, which imparts attributes from the nearby fruit trees.
Then, there is the 'Mozart Method.' During the fermentation process, classical music is played to the tanks. The theory is that the vibrations of the music aid the yeast in its work, ensuring a cleaner conversion of sugars to alcohol.
Following distillation, the liquid is treated with the same reverence. One of the most significant choices the team made was to skip chill-filtration. Most mass-market tequilas are chill-filtered to ensure they remain crystal clear even when cold, but this strips away many of the fatty acids and essential oils that give tequila its mouthfeel and long finish.
“We don’t do that,” Oscar says. “Our filtration is like a pour-over coffee at home. It’s just enough to clean the liquid but leave the soul of the agave intact.”
Making Tequila With Intentional Flavor Variation
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Tierra de Ensueño is its embrace of variation. In an industrial world obsessed with consistency through additives, Ensueño leans into the 'wine model.'
“Ensueño is a natural production. Like wine, every vintage is different. Our commitment isn't that every batch tastes identical, but that every one is worth it.
Because they use estate-grown agave from Hacienda El Olvido’s own lands, the flavor of the tequila is a direct reflection of the weather, the soil, and the harvest time. Instead of masking these differences with glycerin or oak extract, the Dream Team celebrates them. Every bottle is a 'reflection of a moment in time,' a liquid snapshot of Los Altos.
As the brand matures, so does its footprint. Ensueño is currently available in eight major markets: New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Texas, and California. For those outside these regions, the brand has opened its doors via Ensueno.shop, shipping to most states.
Currently available expressions include the Batch 6 and Batch 8 barrel-rested blancos (remember, each batch is different) at $64.99. Additionally, the first two batches of the Ensueño reposado are available on the website for $74.99. There's also an exceptional single barrel reposado aged in Jamaican rum casks for $84.99.
Robertson is quick to point out that expansion isn't a race. “We’re eager to meet the demand so everyone can experience Ensueño, but we have to scale in a smart way,” he explains. That includes a highly anticipated launch in Illinois later this spring, with plans to add another territory or two before 2026 comes to a close.
What’s Next: Rare Barrels and High ABV
Now that Tierra de Ensueño has established its footing, the team is finally ready to let some of their more ambitious projects out of the cellar. “We’ve got a lot of fun projects in the works,” Robertson hints. “Look for some higher ABV limited editions. Now that we’ve been around a bit longer, we’re also moving into expressions with longer aging times.”
These upcoming releases are the fulfillment of dreams the team has harbored since those first experimental batches at El Olvido. Vasquez and Cruz have finally secured rare barrels they’ve coveted for years - wood that promises to interact with the Highland agave in ways rarely seen in the category.
NOTE: Ensueño is partnering with The Tequila Report to release a high-proof blanco in late spring or early summer. Our Insiders will get first chance to purchase this limited edition.
The Long Game: Authenticity over Additives
In an era where a new tequila seems to hit the market every day, Tierra de Ensueño is making a deliberate choice to play the long game. This is a brand built for endurance - a strategy that is becoming increasingly rare among newer entrants. “With so many tequilas entering the market, especially celebrity brands, it’s usually not hard to tell who’s in this for a quick payday and who really has passion for crafting tequila,” Robertson says.
While many brands are content to slap a logo and a signature onto bulk tequila laden with additives, Tierra de Ensueño has positioned itself as the polar opposite. “We want to build something authentic and viable for a very long time - to have this brand be respected as one of the best in the industry,” Robertston explains.
Tierra de Ensueño is a case study in what happens when you remove ego from the equation and embrace the idea that the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. The 'Land of Dreams' isn't a destination; it’s the relentless pursuit of the perfect pour.
Tierra de Ensueño is a partner of The Tequila Report.
