Why Jalisco you may ask? As with anything in life if you want the best you need to go to the source. Jalisco Mexico is where tequila was born and so of course it’s where you’ll find this spirit at its finest and where 95% of all tequila in Mexico is produced. There are nominally four other states permitted to produce tequila – Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas but at this stage it’s in name only.
Tequila can only be made from Weber Blue agave and where and how this agave is grown has a significant effect on how a finished tequila will taste. The French have a word that encompasses this idea terroir: the combination of factors, including soil, climate, and environment, that gives a distilled spirit its distinctive character.
And so terroir gives tequila a sense of place, an authenticity, where the characteristics of the land are reflected in the flavour and aroma of the tequila.
Terroir is not merely about the environment it’s also about honesty and community, Agave grown in the valley or lowlands for example is quite earthy and herbaceous, whereas that grown in the Los Altos region, the highlands of Jalisco where the red clay forces the roots of the deep into the soil, the results are a fruitier, sweeter agave with a more intense aroma.
At 7000ft above sea level the town of Jesus Maria is in the heart of the highlands. Families have been making tequila for generations and it’s where Avión both source their agave and distill their own tequila. Here the agave is harvested at between 8-10 years when the Pina or core of the agave is at its highest “brix” level and contains the most sugar content. Roasted at very low temperatures in brick ovens for a full 3 days means the Pinas gently caramelise and all the natural sweetness is released. The juices are then extracted from the fibre, distilled in small batches and finished with Avión’s proprietary ultra-slow filtration method.
And this is how Jalisco plays its part in creating the worlds smoothest tequila.