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Jan 6, 2021 • 5 min read
Mexico’s booming tequila industry is growing fast. In Jalisco, you can have the fascinating experience of visiting a craft distillery for a taste of what made the drink so wildly popular in the first place.
More than just a boozy getaway, the town of Tequila and its surroundings were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006 due to the ancient production facilities and immense agave landscape. The region has been producing distilled agave spirits since the 16th century and fermented agave drinks, such as pulque, that date back at least 2,000 years.
Unsurprisingly, agave beverages have become an integral part of Mexico’s national identity, and you’ll find no better place to immerse yourself in this culture than in the tequila capital of the world.
From Plant to Aromatic Drink
One of the best ways to immerse yourself in tequila’s storied history, culture, and production process is through a four-hour tour (MXN$1,300 per person) at Tequila Fortaleza. This experience includes a guided distillery visit, a tasting session, and lunch in a beautiful blue agave garden.
Fortaleza produces one of the finest tequilas globally, and though the brand is only 15 years old, the family has been engaged in the craft of tequila-making for five generations. This relatively small operation emphasizes quality, focusing on producing a very clean, smooth tequila with no coloring and no additives.
The tour provides an up-close look at tequila production using traditional methods, such as handcrafted bottles and corks, as well as a tahona (stone wheel) mill for crushing the cooked agave. This notably unhurried approach significantly enhances the end product’s quality.
“My grandfather had to close down the distillery because it was so inefficient, but we decided that this old inefficiency creates great taste,” Erickson Sauza reflects.
Fortaleza offers delightful blanco (white), reposado (aged for six months), and añejo (aged for at least 18 months) tequilas, and now also produces a higher proof still-strength drink.
After your tour, enjoy a meal in the tranquil garden at the nearby Casa Salles restaurant, which also operates as a boutique hotel. Once refreshed, you can explore the main square, where the Los Abuelos tequila museum provides further historical insight.
For a more personalized experience in tequila country, consider joining an excursion with Experience Agave, founded by agave spirits expert Clayton Szczech. They arrange day trips to the region’s smaller independent tequila and raicilla producers.
Tequila versus Raicilla
Jalisco produces both tequila and the less-commercialized raicilla. Both beverages are distilled agave spirits; however, raicilla is more akin to mezcal, with a slightly different production process.
In making raicilla, the piña (heart) of the agave plant is typically cooked in underground pits or clay ovens, creating a smokier flavor profile compared to the steaming process used for tequila.
Another notable difference includes the types of agave used. While tequila is exclusively crafted from agave tequilana, also known as blue agave, raicilla can be produced from various agave plants, similar to mezcal.
You can find small raicilla distilleries along the route from Puerto Vallarta to the mountain village of San Sebastián del Oeste (Hacienda Don Lalín, just past El Puente de Cristal, produces a delightful variant). Additionally, visiting the small town of El Tuito, located about 50km south of Puerto Vallarta, reveals several family-run producers.
Both raicilla and tequila are potent, typically ranging from 40-50 percent alcohol content, and should be sipped cautiously to appreciate the intricate flavors developed from the production process, which often spans at least six years for agave maturation.
Both spirits hold denomination of origin status in Jalisco and several neighboring states, meaning they can only be marketed as tequila or raicilla if produced within those areas. Similar geographical restrictions apply to mezcal, which has a designation of origin across ten Mexican states.
When it comes to flavor, no two agave spirits are identical.
“There are so many variables: geography, plant variety, weather, production process, and the water,” explains Vallarta Adventures tour coordinator Armando Cruz. “For example, a coastal agave grows in more saline soil than a mountain agave, even though both can be used to make raicilla.”
To truly discover the spectrum of flavors, Vallarta Tequila Tastings in Puerto Vallarta offers a ‘Spirits of Mexico’ tasting experience that allows participants to discern the differences between tequila, raicilla, mezcal, and two agave beverages from northern Mexico (sotol and bacanora).
Where to Buy Agave Spirits
Purchasing tequila and raicilla directly from the producers ensures that your investment supports the local economy. Even if you have already acquired bottles in Tequila, seeking out a ‘tahona blanco’ from the independent distillery El Cascahuín, located about 13 miles southeast of Tequila in El Arenal, is well worth the effort. They also offer tours by reservation.
If visiting tequila country is not feasible, stores such as El Buho in Tlaquepaque (Guadalajara) and Vinos América in Puerto Vallarta stock Fortaleza, Cascahuín, and other esteemed brands.
An excellent online resource is Tequilamatchmaker.com, which features expert product reviews, user ratings, news, and the most comprehensive tequila database available.
How to Get There
The town of Tequila is a convenient day trip (approximately a one-hour drive) from Guadalajara, which boasts the closest international airport. Frequent buses depart every two hours to Tequila from Guadalajara’s Central Vieja terminal. The Tequila train, also known as the Jose Cuervo Express, offers excursions that include a distillery tour, lunch, and an agave harvesting demonstration. For San Sebastián del Oeste and El Tuito, traveling by car is recommended.
Sponsored by Visit Jalisco
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This story was crafted collaboratively between Visit Jalisco and GoTravelDaily. Both parties provided research and content curation to produce this article. We disclose when information isn’t authored by us.
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