Why Does This Tequila Take Six Times Longer to Distill?

Most tequila distillers choose their location based on proximity to agave fields, supply chains, and the highway corridors that connect them to bottling plants and export routes. Alberto Herrera chose the top of a mountain.

Premium de Jalisco (NOM 1558), the distillery Herrera co-owns and operates with his brother Octavio, sits at 7,200 feet above sea level in Mazamitla, a small town tucked into the Sierra del Tigre mountains of Jalisco. There is no highway corridor. There are no neighboring distilleries. The nearest agave-producing hub is hours away.

It’s at roughly the same elevation as Flagstaff, Arizona - a city famous for its thin air, cool summers, and pine forests that feel nothing like the desert 150 miles south.

The distillery’s isolation, Herrera argues, is the entire point.

"Being far from everyone else can represent a logistical challenge and sometimes an additional cost," he says. "However, I have always thought that being isolated has allowed us to remain faithful to our convictions, far from the temptation of following trends which, by virtue of being trends, are usually atrocious."

It was this conviction, and this distillery, that attracted Pete Kelly, founder of Spirits Innovation Partners (SIP), and the members of Grammy-nominated country band Midland. Together with the Herrera brothers, they launched INSÓLITO Tequila in 2020. The name translates to "rare," "uncommon," and "extraordinary" and the production process earns every syllable.

If you're not a country music fan, here's the short version: Midland is a Texas trio (lead vocalist Mark Wystrach, bassist/vocalist Cameron Duddy, and lead guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson) who broke through in 2017 with their hit "Drinkin' Problem."

Double Grammy nominees, they're known for a throwback sound that draws on classic country, Bakersfield honky-tonk, and the Texas dance-hall tradition. They're also, as it turns out, serious tequila people.

Alberto Herrera admits he was skeptical at first. When Kelly and the Midland guys came knocking, Herrera assumed the meeting would be predictable.

"Since INSÓLITO is an American brand, when they sought a meeting to get to know us and taste our products, I thought it would be an easy 'yes,'" Herrera recalls. "Back then, there was still a stigma that only Mexicans could truly appreciate good tequila. I never imagined they would have such a clear vision."

That vision was specific: they didn't want a typical sweet, light tequila. They wanted the authentic flavor of the agave. The Midland members, all former bartenders with deep tequila knowledge, proved it during tastings.

"Cameron was very clear about the character he wanted to find in the samples we had prepared," Herrera says. "Jess and Mark knew exactly what they didn't want, and they were the ones who rejected several samples."

That feedback wasn't just aesthetic. It directly changed the recipe. The band's insistence on a highly aromatic profile led Herrera to increase the Highland agave content significantly, ultimately landing on the 80/20 Highland-to-Valley blend that defines INSÓLITO today.

The Denomination of Origin region for tequila is primarily Jalisco, a warm state. The mountains are the exception. And for Herrera, the cooler climate of Mazamitla solves the most important problem in tequila production: fermentation.

"With the temperatures we have there, fermentations are slower, the yeasts work leisurely and generate many more aromatic compounds," Herrera explains. "Something similar happens during barrel aging; inside the barrels, the tequila doesn't evaporate as much, and consequently, the extraction is smoother, and the alcoholic note isn't perceived as intensely."

Add the clean mountain air and natural spring water from the Sierra del Tigre mountains, and you begin to understand why Herrera isn't interested in moving closer to civilization.

"Water is the most abundant ingredient in the profile, so a large part of the tequila's characteristics comes from the water," he says. "It is impossible to replicate it elsewhere."

The altitude doesn't just affect fermentation and aging. At 7,200 feet, the boiling point of water drops, which means distillation runs gentler and slower. INSÓLITO's distillation speed is 1.5 to 3 liters per minute, as little as one-sixth the speed of the industry average. That glacial pace preserves the aromatic complexity built during fermentation rather than boiling it away.

Ask any craft tequila enthusiast about distillation and they'll tell you copper is the gold standard. Copper strips sulfur compounds, adds warmth, and has been the material of choice for centuries. Herrera disagrees.

"Copper is a wonderful material because it helps strip away sulfur compounds that can be generated during cooking and fermentation as a result of process errors," he says. "Personally, I prefer to understand the process and avoid those errors so I don't have to correct them later."

It's a bold position. Where most distillers use copper as a safety net, Herrera views it as a crutch. His custom-built stainless steel alembic pot stills, designed with a proprietary long neck and steep slope, are built to preserve flavors, not correct mistakes.

"Copper works well with grains and grapes, but not with the acidity of agave," he says. "At our distillery, the premise is to understand the process before following trends or traditions."

Behind every bottle of INSÓLITO is a partnership that extends well beyond business. Alberto and Octavio Herrera have spent decades learning how to work together, and how to stay out of each other's way.

"We have spent many years understanding how different we are from one another, but even more years as partners and a lifetime as brothers," Alberto Herrera says. "Before we have discussions about things we disagree on, we already know what the other's opinion will be."

The division of labor is clear. Alberto handles profile development: the chemistry, the fermentation, the distillation. Octavio brings aesthetic sensitivity and a talent for negotiation. "He has better skills for negotiating and finding common ground with our clients," Alberto admits. "I just work with the agave."

That self-deprecation belies a master distiller whose knowledge runs extraordinarily deep. When asked about the signature "silky" mouthfeel that reviewers consistently note in INSÓLITO, he points to a single origin: fermentation.

"That is where the essential oils that provide texture and aroma are formed," he explains. "However, they can be lost during distillation, so it is equally important to be able to preserve them after both distillations."

It's a thread that runs through every answer Herrera gives: fermentation is the soul of tequila, and everything else, cooking, extraction, distillation, aging, either protects or destroys what fermentation creates.

When asked for the one rule he will never break in his distillery, Herrera's answer is characteristically philosophical.

"Never fall for whims," he says. "Let knowledge and rigor be what guide your processes."

And what would he change about Premium de Jalisco if money were no object? "I would go to work every day by helicopter. The only reason to be up there is the climate. I hate losing so much time on the daily commute to the distillery."

Some things, even a master distiller can't control.

INSÓLITO's product line includes four expressions, all aged in new American White Oak barrels, a deliberate choice that sets the brand apart from the used bourbon barrel standard.

"What is truly transcendental is the smoothness obtained through the flow of oxygen through the pores of the wood," Herrera explains. "For this to happen, the pores must remain clean. Barrels have a useful life, and fortunately, more distilleries are starting to understand this."

Blanco ($39.99) — Rested six weeks (not in wood). The purest expression of the 80/20 agave blend. Cooked agave, herbal notes (basil, mint, anise), citrus, and butter. Smooth, balanced finish.

Reposado ($49.99) — Aged six-to-ten months in new American Oak. The barrel adds hints of almond, vanilla, and some spice while preserving the sweeter notes of the Blanco.

Añejo ($59.99) — Aged 18-24 months in new American Oak. Silky, well-structured, and highly aromatic. Chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, and wood. The altitude's cooler temperatures produce subtler oak extraction, so the barrel never overwhelms the agave.

Extra Añejo ($149.99) — Limited release. Aged four years in new American Oak after an eight-year agave harvest. The crown jewel. Deep, rich character with chocolate notes and a lot of finesse.

Get all INSÓLITO expressions on their website.

Also available at ForTequilaLovers.com and OldTownTequila.com.

When someone takes their first sip of INSÓLITO, Alberto Herrera has a specific hope for what they'll notice.

"The first thing I want them to find is the complexity and the consistency between the aromas and the flavors," he says. "Something that takes more time but is equally pleasant is the aftertaste and the mouthfeel that remains even several minutes after drinking it."

As for what's next? Herrera and Kelly have a few projects in the works. "Since the magic of surprises is precisely that they are surprises," Herrera says, "we prefer not to mention them just yet."

At 7,200 feet, it seems, patience isn't just a production philosophy. It's a way of life.

INSÓLITO is a partner of The Tequila Report