For the best stories about our visit to Casa Herradura to select our very own barrel of their fine Reposado, you really should stop by the store and talk to the owner Joey. I don't think he'll ever be the  same. Just mention Agave, tequila, or Mexico, and his eyes light up and he starts talking animatedly about his wonderful host Ruben Aceves Vidrio (Herradura's "brand ambassador"), the magical vibe of the countryside around Amatitán and Guadalajara, and his admiration for the hard-working Jimadores that labor in the desert heat to bring the Agave Piñas to the ovens to begin the magical process of making one of the world's finest tequilas. Stopping by the store is also the only way that you'll be able to secure one of the limited number of bottles from our hand-selected barrel. There are about 240 bottles total, and they'll be distributed across several of our outlets.
The story here is a lighthearted look at our trip to Casa Herradura; we've also created a photo gallery featuring a few highlights of the trip. If you want to learn more about Herradura, we've included some of the history of the estate and product information here on our site, but for more detailed information or to plan your own trip (which we highly recommend), visit the Herradura site.
The first interesting thing Joey mentioned about the late-night flight into Guadalajara was that he was surprised at how many lakes there were in the area. He later realized that the "lakes" were  the massive fields of Blue Agave lit by the moonlight. This kind of sets the tone for a trip to the magical environs of Amatitán, the home of Casa Herradura, an area not only rich in unique desert beauty, but also rich with a passionate and complex history.
Amatitán is located about 35km northwest of Guadalajara, in the heart of tequila country. Many would say that Amatitán is the heart of tequila country, and after seeing the Herradura estate and old distillery firsthand, we might be inclined to agree. In any case, after being courteously picked up at the airport by the Herradura driver, we were escorted to our accomadations, and settled in with only a minor hitch. A word to the wise: don't forget your laptop cord when traveling to remote corners of Mexico. A replacement might be pricey!
Our gracious hosts wasted no time getting us saddled up early the next day. And early is a good idea, the temperature often rises above 100F by noon. It may have been a little too early for Steve though; when Ruben said "good morning" in Spanish, Steve replied "gracias", and was immediately christened "Mr. Gracias" for the rest of the trip. By the way, when we say "saddled up" we literally mean "saddled up". Joey still has a little bit of a John Wayne swagger almost a month after the trip. If you've never been on a horse, don't worry about this part of the visit. The horses provided by Herradura must be the most patient horses in the world. The closest Joey had been to being on a horse prior to this was probably riding alongside his kids on a merry-go-round. Cherish this photo. This is an image that may never be captured again.
Next: Into the Agave fields » |
