la certeza & lunazul tequila brands part of joint venture

Tierra de Agaves, the Mexican spirits company founded by Francisco Beckmann and sons, former co-owner of Jose Cuervo is now involved in joint ownership of the Lunazul and La Certeza Tequila brands with Heaven Hills, a US family owned distillery. This venture combines Heaven Hill's global distribution network and marketing expertise with Tierra de Agaves' multi-generational focus on growing premium agave plants and producing the best 100% estate-grown Tequilas.
Heaven Hill is adding Lunazul and La Certeza to their leading spirits brands such as Christian Brothers Brandy, Evan Williams Bourbon, Hpnotiq and Pama Pomegranate Liqueur. Lunazul will be offered in both Blanco and Reposado varieties. La Certeza is an award-winning 100% Blue Weber Agave Tequila available in Blanco, Reposado and Anejo varieties.
Both Lunazul and La Certeza are estate-grown on the 3,500 acres of Blue Weber Agave that the Beckmann family and their past generations have controlled since 1758. They are then produced at state-of-the-art distillery completed in 2002 in Tequila, Mexico.

cabo wabo sold for $80 million!

Wow! 2007 was a very good year for Sammy Hagar and Cabo Wabo Tequila. The once lead singer for the rock group Van Halen was noted as having one of the top 20 paydays in 2007 by Forbes Magazine. Hagar was paid $80 million for 80% of the company by Gruppo Campari, the makers of Camparri and Skyy Vodka. 20% of Cabo Wabo is still owned by Hagar. Gruppo Campari has the option to buy the remaining 20% within the next 5 to 8 years. It looks like Sammy may see yet another pay day at some point in the near future.
In 1996 when Hagar left Van Halen he almost immediately invested in the creation of Cabo Wabo brand. He apparently came up with the name after watching a man "wobbling" down the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

4 copas: supporting sea turtles

The world's first organic tequila makers are in the news again. This time it is, in our opinion, for a better reason than being the the first certified organic tequila. 4 Copas has released a limited edition sea turtle bottle in honor of the 2008 annual symposium on sea turtle biology and conservation that will take place in Loretto, Baja California, Mexico from January 19th-26th. Proceeds will go to Seaturtle.org, a non-profit organization that provides a centralized resource for sea turtlers around the world. Much of Seaturtle.org’s work involves satellite tracking, a key method for scientists and the public to learn about sea turtles’ movements and behavior.
We have not been able to find any images of this limited edition bottle anywhere on the web. If anyone out there has seen it, please let us know what you think. At Tequila Savvy we believe very strongly in the preservation of the planet. Whether it is through animal protection; creatig a sustainable future for Agave farmers in Mexico; or any other good cause; we will always continue to support and highlight the work beign done by comapnies like 4 Copas.
If you have ever been witness to the nesting and behaviors of the great sea turtles, you will understand immediately why we are so interested in this special story. Next time you are anywhere where there are sea turtles living, put on your snorkle or scuba gear and spend some time watching them. They are creatures worth protecting!

distiller of the year:2007

According to a November issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Casa Herradura is the 2007 distiller of the year. It is one of the oldest and most respected Tequila distilleries in all of Mexico. Herradura was founded by Ambrosio Rosales and Aurelio Lopez 138 years ago in Jalisco, the heart of Mexico’s Tequila region.
As featured in Wine Enthusiast, Tequila Herradura is 100-percent blue agave Tequila, carefully crafted using traditional methods, such as using clay ovens and fermenting the cooked agave hearts naturally with wild yeast. Tequila Herradura is all natural, estate grown and estate bottled. The distillery introduced the first Reposado Tequila in 1974, and later launched the first Extra Añejo, Seleccion Suprema.
In 1994, Casa Herradura released El Jimador Tequila to honor the men who harvest agave plants. Today, El Jimador is the No. 1 Tequila in Mexico.
Purchased in January 2007 by Brown-Forman of Louisville, Kentucky, a company that has the highest respect for quality and tradition, expect Casa Herradura to prosper despite the change in ownership

2008:agave surplus high

Our quest today brings us to a very enlightening story about the current glut in surplus of Blue Weber Agave in Mexico. Just like the photo we chose says, "Mucho Tequila" is what is in store for this new year. Just seven to eight years ago at the turn of the new millenium there were armed guards protecting blue agave crops. There was such a shortage at that time that farmers and distilleries had to be very weary of potential theives. According to an article we found at tequilasource.com some 1.5 million metric tons of ripe agave came onto the market in 2007 and the tequila industry will use only half of it. A similar surplus is expected in 2008. Tequila makers aren't complaining, of course, but the thousands of farmers who grow agave are seeing red.
Millions of dollars in federal money to bail out farmers hasn't been distributed. Some farmers reportedly burned their agave in desperation and planted corn used for ethanol production instead. Farmer protests could be a fixture of tequila-country visitor tours through 2009.
Industry observers saw the glut coming as long as a decade ago. On a very basic level, the shortage up to 8 years ago caused too many people to begin farming Blue Agave. People who were not even farmers were buying land and planting agave. It seems that things are way out of balance right now. Considering agave grows in 7 year cycles, the year 2014 is already at risk for shortages and increased prices. Experts say that we, as consumers, will not see a drop in tequila prices due to the high cost of transportation these days.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for the agave farmers right now. If they do not get sufficient aide from their government, they could face very hard times for some time to come. Just think..... drinking your favorite tequila more regularly could help feed hungry farming families in Mexico. Go ahead, have a glass for the sake of good people.

tequila.net adds spirits of mexico map

We are huge fans of TEQUILA.net! They seem to be bringing in the new year with a new web savvy feature. You can now visit their site and use a mapping feature that is powered by Google to locate your favorite Tequila, Mezcal, and Sotol distillery or to find a new one that you never even knew existed. Many distilleries shown link to their own photo gallery, showing pictures of their production process, exact address, and current brands produced.
According to our friends at TEQUILA.net additional maps will be added soon showing locations for both liquor stores and recommended restaurants / bars worldwide that are "Agave Friendly". These tools are provided to TEQUILA.net members and browsers that are interested in the Spirits of Mexico, making it simple to find locations worldwide where they can enjoy Agave products when traveling. They have even set it up so we can all contribute to their map's data base.
What are you waiting for?
Visit their site today and explore!

dos lunas grand reserve - $2500 per bottle!!!

Richard C. Poe II, owner of El Paso, Texas based Dos Lunas Tequila has come up with what is being called the most expensive and oldest tequila ever bottled.

We are confused by this information. We recently posted a story about AsomBroso Tequila and how they age their anejo for 11 years. We have also recently read of a bottle of aged tequila that was auctioned off for $225,000. That is a quarter of a million dollars!
Dos Lunas Grand Reserve has been released in limited quantity. There are only 1000 bottles being sold. It is an anejo that has been aged for 10 years in french oak casks that were originally used for aging Spanish Sherry.
In our opinion, the best part of this release is the Baccarat decanter that it is bottled in. It truly looks like a very chic bottle of cologne or cognac. We have read everything from rave reviews to harsh criticism about this limited and very expensive bottle. At this point it would not be fair to pass judgement on the contents of the crystal decanter until we get a chance to taste it for ourselves. If any of you out there have had a taste or know someone who has had a taste, please let us know. If you are one of those lucky 1000, have a glass for the rest of us who may never get the chance.