Tequila Herradura

Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM): 1119

Written by Brian Donnelly, CSS, WSET III

History

I'm excited to talk to you about one of my favorite Tequila brands, a brand that embodies authenticity, innovation, and quality. Tequila Herradura comes from the town of Amatitán, located in the volcanic valley, or lowlands, in the Western Mexican state of Jalisco, halfway between the state capital of Guadalajara and the town of Tequila, where the spirits draw its name. The brand is produced at the last tequila-producing Hacienda in Mexico. What exactly is an authentic Hacienda, though? To be considered an authentic hacienda, the building or property must have been built between the 18th and 19th centuries, and include a main house, chapel, and a casco (courtyard or center area), land extensions, housing for workers, and self-sufficient livestock or agriculture.

Much of the brand's history, marketing, and image revolves around the Hacienda because it was the foundation of all things that would eventually come. A Roman Catholic Priest named Padre Romo initially established the property as a ranch and distillery in the early 1800s. Tequila Herradura traces its historical roots to 1870, when Félix López assumed control of the property, renamed it Hacienda San José del Refugio, and registered the Hacienda as an official distillery. While the Hacienda was an active distillery at this time, the Tequila Herradura's brand and iconic horseshoe logo was not officially registered with the government until 1928, by Aurelio's cousin, David Rosales.

Like any historic spirits brand, there is a great myth surrounding its origin story, and Tequila Herradura is no different. Sometime after the Félix López took control of the Hacienda and distillery, his son, Aurelio López Rosales, was working in the agave field when something shiny caught his eye. He believed he has possibly found gold but instead found a single horseshoe that had caught the reflection of the sunlight. Herradura means horseshoe in Spanish and is a sign of good luck, which is why the symbol would eventually become the brand's official logo. The excellent marketing twist on this story is that a horseshoe is only considered a good luck symbol when the open endpoints upward. Now the horseshoe opens downwards on every bottle of Herradura, which means that luck is only brought to those who pour themselves a drink. Cheers and Salud!

The Hacienda survived some turbulent events, including the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the Cristero Rebellion (1926-1929), and significant land reform that stripped the property of considerable farming acreage. In 1960, Doña Gabriela de la Peña, the undisputed queen in the history of Tequila Herradura, took control of the Hacienda, and along with her two sons, Pablo and Guillermo Romo, ran the operation for the next four decades, driving innovation and growth, without sacrificing quality. As processes modernized, a new distillery was built on-site in 1963. The original Old Factory was preserved as a museum to offer future generations a glimpse into the past of Casa Herradura. The brand has many historical claims to fame, but two significant innovations happened under Gabriela's supervision, forever changing the Tequila industry. Tequila Herradura pioneered the first Reposado in 1974 and the first Extra-Añejo in 1995, inventing their respective categories. In 1994, her sons Pablo and Guillermo continued to expand and innovate with they launched the El Jimador brand, which quickly became one of the top-selling tequilas in Mexico. El Jimador is the entry-level brand also produced at Casa Herradura. The ownership and control of the Hacienda stayed within the extended family until the brand, distillery, and agave fields were eventually sold in 2007 to Brown-Forman, the parent company for popular American Whiskey brands like Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester.

Let's examine each stage of the production process. 

Agave

Tequila Herradura, like all premium tequilas, is distilled from 100% blue weber agave. Agave is a succulent and not a cactus, as many people believe. Casa Herradura has expertly kept its agave field full with more than 25 million agave plants (on 25,000 acres) at various stages of maturity to keep a consistent and reliable source of agave for the distillery year after year. The agave plants have been propagated from the original plants grown on the grounds almost 150 years ago. The distillery uses a combination of agave from Nayarit, Amatitlán, and the Highlands (lost altos). The Jimadors harvest the blue agave after 7 to 10 years, when the plants are a minimum of 44 pounds (30 kg), with a minimum sugar content of 20%. 

Harvesting

Each mature agave plant is hand-harvested by the highly skilled Jimadors using a tool called a coa, which has an extremely sharp round blade on a long handle. After harvesting, the piñas are transported from the field to the distillery on a cart and cut into halves. Each piñas can weigh between 80 and 250 pounds.

Cooking

Next, the halves are carefully hand stacked and slowly baked in a traditional brick and stone oven for up to 26 hours at 203°F (95°C). Each oven can hold up to 40 tons (36,287 kg) of agave piñas. After the steaming process is complete, the cooked agave is a deep orange-brown color and resembles a soft-cooked sweet potato. The agave is then left in the oven for a further 9 hours to cool before milling.

Milling

The cooked piñas are run through a mill twice, which crushes the agave and separates the juices from the plant fibers, or bagazo. Steaming the piñas first makes it easier to extract the juice from the core. This produces the mosto, or sweet liquid known as Agave Nectar. This sugary liquid is what is used in the fermentation process.

Fermentation & Yeast

Casa Herradura uses 100% naturally occurring wild air-bound yeast for its fermentation process. Over 16 different species of fruit and citrus trees are grown on the property, and they provide the various strains of natural yeast that give Herradura its unique flavor profile. This is highly unusual for a major commercial tequila brand, because most brands use a traditional yeast strain to insure consistent and fast fermentation every time. Fermentation lasts up to 96 hours to allow the flavor to develop deeply and fully. At this point, the fermented agave juice is around 5% ABV.

Water

Maria de Jesús López Rosales, the sister of Aurelio López, returned to the hacienda after the the Cristero Rebellion. She never married and remained at the property the rest of her, which she spent in serving to the town of Amatitán. She is responsible for building schools, the town hall, renovating the historical local Catholic church, and so much more. In 1958, she paid for the construction of five wells in the town. The gift of water is perhaps her greatest gift to Amatitán because consistent, clean water can be more valuable than gold. Water is undoubtedly one of the most critical parts of the production process and essential ingredients to any good distilled spirit. These wells provide the water source for Casa Herradura to this day, filtered through reserve osmosis to ensure the purity of the tequila aromas and flavors.

Distillation

Herradura tequila is carefully distilled to a lower proof to create a depth of complex flavors. After fermentation, the juice is distilled twice in stainless pot stills (Alembic Stills) at low temperatures for up to 9 hours. After the first distillation, the distillate is around 25% ABV, and between 92-110 proof, or 46-55% ABV, after the second distillation. The heads and tails are cut after each distillation cycle to preserve only the best of the alcohol. Each batch is repeatedly tested and reviewed by an exclusive panel of tequila experts before bottling or preparation for barrel aging.

Maturation

Herradura uses 55 gallons (208.2 L) charred American White Oak barrels made by the Brown-Forman Cooperage. These barrels probably held other Brown-Forman American Whiskeys such as Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Old Forester Bourbon, or Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey must use only new barrels for aging, so these barrels receive a second life to age tequila. Herradura is the only tequila that produces its barrels. Most of Herradura’s flavor, and all of its color, come from the barrel. The new tequila enters the barrel at 88 proof (44% ABV). All bottling is done on-site, and the iconic horseshoe is applied by hand on every bottle.

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