Corralejo Gran Corralejo Tequila Anejo, Guanajuato, Mexico

Hacienda Corralejo, located just outside of Pénjamo in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, was the first estate in Mexico to produce tequila as a commercial venture, and as such, it is among only a few distilleries granted the right to produce tequila in a province other than Jalisco. The hacienda, which was originally built in 1700, is surrounded by blue weber agave as far as the eye can see, and has been making tequila deeply rooted in history, tradition and the vibrant culture of Mexico for nearly 250 years. Corralejo tequila is made with 100% Blue Weber agave. The majority of the used agave is estate-grown, which allows the distillers to control the quality from the very beginning. This quality assurance process starts when the agave plants are only 2–3 years old, when stable and healthy shoots, or hijuelos, are selected and planted in a specialty soil blend. When the agave is fully ripe at the age of 6–8 years, it is harvested and the leaves are removed. The piñas are slowly roasted in a stone clay oven for 36 hours, rested for 12 hours, and pressed to extract the juice, which is then fermented for 36 hours. The distillery uses a proprietary strain of years, LCORRA1, which was cultivated from the very first press of the estate agave, and developed in partnership with the Universidad de Guanajuato. All of Corralejo tequilas are double distilled using the Charentais method, which is rare in the tequila industry. The fermented juice (mosto) is first distilled in a continuous or column still, while the second distillation takes place in an Alembic copper pot still, resulting in a refined and wonderfully aromatic tequila. If not bottled unaged as Blanco, the tequila is put in oak barrels to mature. The tequila is then bottled at the estate, giving its producers complete oversight until the very last production step. Corralejo Tequila Gran Añejo is made from 100% Blue Weber agave and distilled using the 400-year-old Charentais method. This expression, with a limited production of just 2,000 cases, is aged a minimum of two years in French Limousin oak casks, and bottled in a replica of the 18th century Spanish royal crown. Grab your bottle today!