IT ALL STARTS HERE - SINGLE ORIGIN FIELDS

Crafting tequila is truly an art, one we take great pride in. Most tequila brands source their agave from fields all over Jalisco, but each batch of Azul Imperial is sourced from a single field at a time, meaning we are one of the rare few brands where the local climate and soil make an impact on the flavors of our tequila. We source all our agave from the south of Jalisco, a land blessed with fertile soils due to its proximity to the Colima Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico. Our Classic Collection, as well as our first batch of our Craft Collection, is sourced entirely from our field lovingly called "La Bolsa", a field filled with volcanic rock. Our second batch will be sourced from "El Platanar", a flat field with a stormy microclimate.

THE HARVEST

After growing for 7 years, our agave is ready to harvest. Jimadores expertly cut away all the sharp agave leaves, or "pencas", exposing the heart of the agave. Jimadores use a coa, to strip the agave of its pencas, using techniques passed down to them from their fathers and uncles. 

SLOWLY STEAMED

Once harvested, our agave is ready to be steamed in our autoclave. Cooking the agave is a very important step in tequila making, because it is here where the natural complex carbohydrates, known as inulin, are converted into simple fermentable sugars. Once steamed, our agave hearts, or pinas, take on a dark brown color. At this point the agave is edible, and its taste is reminiscent of molasses and honey.

CRUSHING, FERMENTING, DISTILLING

Once cooked, our agave pinas are crushed in our roller mill, where all the liquid inside of the agave hearts are released, and separated from the agave fibers. These fibers are given to local ranchers who use them as supplemental feeding for their livestock. The liquid that was released by the agave then undergoes a 3-4 day fermentation process, which is when the sugars found in the liquid is converted into alcohol. Many of the notes later found in our tequila can be detected in this stage of the process. At this stage our distillery is filled with a sweet fruit like aroma that attracts local bees. Once fermented, the liquid then goes through the distillation process. For our Classic Collection, it is distilled in stainless steel alambiques, giving our tequila a more raw profile. Our Craft Collection is distilled in small copper alambiques, sometimes referred to as a copper still or copper pot, producing a refined blanco tequila.

BARREL AGED

We age all of our reposado, anejo, and extra anejo expression in American white oak barrels for a period of a few months to a few years depending on the expression. Some tequilas age their tequila in barrels that have previously aged whiskey, but we chose to use new barrels for a purer taste of tequila. As our tequila rests in these barrels, they begin to develop a beautiful golden hue, and they begin to take on notes of vanilla, nuts, and spice, and more complex notes like dried fruits and tobacco for our older expressions.