I’ve been on a lot of distillery tours all around the world, and to some degree, they all begin to feel the same. But this is definitely not the case at the home of Jose Cuervo, the world’s most famous tequila – and the world’s biggest tequila brand. It is also the oldest distillery in Central America, circa 1775. Cuervo puts on a one-of-a-kind experience that is a must for spirits fans – or any tourists to Mexico. But if you have no travel plans South of the Border in the near future, you can make do for now with some excellent tequilas.
One of the things that sets Cuervo apart is the fact that after 250 years it is still family owned, by direct descendants of the man himself, Jose Cuervo. That’s why the company’s ultra-premium and much sought-after top shelf offering is called Reserva de la Familia (Family Reserve) and until 1995, it was the special sauce saved for consumption solely by family and friends. Word of its exceptional quality got out, and demand was high, so they started selling it, but in limited quantities. One of the many unique things you can (sometimes) see on the distillery tour is staffers hand filling each bottle from casks and affixing the labels. The Reserva de la Familia is the highest category of tequila, extra anejo (extra aged) and each year’s new production gets three plus years in French and American oak barrels before going into a blend that contains tequila up to 30 years old. It is made only from fully mature blue agave plants at least eight years old, and has its own ageing cellar beneath the family’s hacienda. Every year, the family selects an acclaimed artist in Mexico to design a special commemorative wooden box, and releases a limited number of bottles, each handmade, hand numbered and sealed by dipping in hot wax. The handmade bottle is a long tradition here – among many other historical firsts, Cuervo was the first tequila ever sold in glass. At $150 it’s still a bargain for this level of ultra-premium artisanal spirit, and while I do not consider myself a “tequila guy,” I was so wowed after tasting it that I picked up a bottle to take home, something I almost never do. It is available in the States but can be hard to find. That is not the case (yet) for the also exceptional but lower priced Reserva de la Familia Reposado, a world-class bargain for under $50 and available only in Mexico. I bought a couple of these rarities, but rumor is they will arrive in the U.S. for the first time in 2019. Stay tuned.
But I digress. The thing that really sets a visit to Jose Cuero apart and elevates it above hundreds of other distillery tours in the world is that the distillery is in the town of Tequila, the family has poured a ton of cash into improving Tequila’s (the town not the drink) tourism business, and in 2012, they started running their own luxury train. They also operate a luxury Relais & Chateaux hotel here and several restaurants. Nobody else has this, anywhere.
The tequila train – officially the Jose Cuervo Express – goes to and from Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, and the capital of all things mariachi and tequila. The town of tequila is sort of like the town of Napa for California wine country or Beaune for French Burgundy, the epicenter of a fairly large production region. This makes most large tequila producers more difficult to visit, out in the countryside, but Cuervo is the center of town. You simply fly to Guadalajara (easy), hop the train (awesome) and shuttle (5 minutes) to the distillery.
The train is reminiscent of those used by Belmond (ne Orient-Express) and other luxury operators worldwide, except without sleeping cars, since the trip is just one hour and forty-five minutes. Once you board you know you are in the right place when they announce, “Welcome to the Jose Cuervo Express – thee train that goes to tequila!” It has three classes, or more realistically, three levels of experiences, all with one-way train and the other direction by bus (actually much faster, just 35 miles) transport. Every Saturday you have the option of taking the morning train to Tequila or the evening train from Tequila, the bus the other way, with a full day of entertainment in between. Express includes basic snacks and cocktails on board, a visit to the agave fields with a demonstration by a master agave cutter, or jimador, an expert led tequila tasting, and a guided tour of the distillery, with free time for exploring, lunch, and shopping before heading back in the afternoon. Coinciding with the train every Saturday is a large and colorful outdoor market in Tequila’s town square. The experience lasts 11 hours, a very full day (9AM-8PM) and runs $100 inclusive – a great deal. Premium class (just ten dollars more!) adds a live Mexican cultural show and a fancier train car, while Premium Plus adds even better seating and upgrades onboard drinks to higher level cocktails – again for an additional ten bucks, or $120. Splurge.
The distillery, La Rojeña (The Raven, Cuervo’s emblem), also offers a bunch of special experiences, with various VIP tours and all sorts of options from chocolate tastings to hands on tequila blending workshops to a special immersive Reserva de la Familia evening in the private cellars. You can even bottle your own Reserva de la Familia, dipping the cork in wax and all, and take it home – for just $120, thirty bucks less than bottle costs here.
If you’d rather relax and spend the night before or after the train in Tequila (or visit at any other time – it’s under an hour and an inexpensive cab ride form Guadalajara), the great news is that Cuervo owns a fantastic hotel with great food, rooms and service, plus a gorgeous pool and rooftop bar with panoramic views of town. Solar de las Animas is a legit luxury boutique hotel (93 rooms), a Relais & Chateaux member, and has a perfect location, abutting the town square and about a 100-second walk from the distillery. Activities include horseback riding in the agave fields and guided bicycle tours. In addition to the great restaurants in the hotel, the family behind Cuervo also owns beloved hot sauce brand Cholula, one of the most popular in the U.S. (I’ve kept a bottle on hand for years and never knew about the Cuervo connection), and Cholula has a flagship Mexican restaurant showcasing all of its sauces (and all of Cuervo’s tequilas) steps from the distillery (and the hotel).
Tequila is just a fun, surprising spot, a charming place offering a full day (or two) of fun and exploration for the spirts fan, including the train, in a way that I have not seen anyplace else on earth. It is worth a special trip. You also get to try all of Cuervo’s excellent tequilas, including limited editions and ones not sold here, and they have fabulous gift shop that is equal parts tequila and artisanal Mexican arts and crafts. I was duly impressed by the train, the distillery tour, the hotel, the food, and of course the tequila. If you see a bottle of Reserva de la Familia for sale (every annual release goes fast) I would not hesitate to buy it. While some of the lower priced labels in the brand lineup are mixtos, which by law contain at least 51% blue agave, all the best tequilas are 100%, and when it comes to Cuervo, the Tradicional is the place to start, available for under $30 and very impressive for the price, neat or in cocktails. The Tradicional Silver (unoaked) is far better than most of its white peers and perfect in my new favorite tequila cocktail, the Paloma, while the Tradicional Gold gets two months or more in oak, and makes the perfect classic margarita.
Salud!
