ABOUT
OUR STORY
In the year 1843, amidst the rugged terrain of Arandas, Jalisco, a humble peasant named Don Jorge Gonzalez embarked on a journey that would shape the legacy of Prestigio 18 Tequila. With just 18 agave plants, Don Jorge's passion for agave cultivation ignited a fervor within him to create something truly exceptional. As the years passed, his agave plants flourished under his care, and the desire to craft a distinct tequila consumed him. Don Jorge meticulously distilled his creation, which he proudly dubbed "My Prestige," and shared it with his cherished circle of family and friends. They were captivated by its unparalleled smoothness and unique flavor profile. Tragically, Don Jorge's dream of sharing his creation with the world was cut short by fate. However, his great-grandchildren now carry the torch, committed to honoring his legacy and bringing Prestigio 18 Tequila to fruition. With a lineage deeply rooted in the art of tequila-making, they vow to uphold the standards of excellence set forth by their ancestor, ensuring that every sip embodies the pure prestige that Don Jorge envisioned. As they proclaim with unwavering pride, "It's Pure Prestige."
Originating from Arandas, Jalisco—the heartland of tequila—we are deeply passionate about our legacy and culture. Each bottle of Prestigio 18 Tequila proudly represents Mexico, crafted with the love and dedication that our great-grandfather, Don Jorge Gonzalez, poured into his cherished recipe, Mi Prestigio. This legacy, a unique distillate with an unparalleled flavor, was created by our ancestor but never intended for commercialization until now.
We honor the year 1843, the birth year of Don Jorge Gonzalez. In 1917, the agave tequilana weber arrived in Los Altos de Jalisco, where Don Jorge harvested his first 18 plants, igniting his dream of crafting the perfect formula for his tequila. He dedicated his final years to creating his tequila in the most traditional way. Before passing away, Don Jorge left behind a handwritten process that today embodies the spirit of Prestigio 18.
OUR ESSENCE
Our Prestigio 18 tequila is completely free of additives, which means that we do not use any type of glycerins, food coloring, synthetic agaves or oak extracts that improve the appearance or aroma. Therefore, we preserve the exquisite flavor of our tequila and at the same time deliver to our customers a reliable and good quality product.
We are proud to share with you that we already have our ARA (Environmentally
Responsible Agave) certification seal. This ARA certification ensures that our fields are free from deforestation, prohibiting the planting of agave in designated forest areas.
All of the products of the House Prestigio 18 are 100% gluten free since our tequilas are made from 100% blue tequilana weber agave, which by nature do not contain any gluten.
ADDITIVE FREE
ARA CERTIFIED
GLUTEN FREE
In the highlands of Jalisco, the red earth is a key factor in the cultivation of exceptional agave. This soil, rich in minerals like iron, nurtures agave plants in a unique way. The region’s cool climate, with temperatures ranging from 48-52 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning to 72 degrees at noon, induces a particular stress in the plants. This stress enhances the agave's citric notes and prevents heat and humidity retention, resulting in piñas with a higher starch content.
The agave from Los Altos are notably larger than those from valley areas, weighing between 33-44 pounds and sometimes reaching 110-154 pounds. These larger agaves have a less fibrous texture and a sweeter aroma and flavor, contributing to the distinguished quality of Prestigio 18 Tequila.
LA FAMOSA TIERRA ROJA
It was born from the inspiration of Don Jorge González, at the time of creating his first distillate, He proudly called it Mi Prestigio.
Due to the scarce resources of the time, Don Jorge began his first plantation with only 18 blue agaves
In honor of the first production ever created by Don Jorge Gonzales approximately in 1917.
Captured in the year 1843 in honor of the birth of Don Jorge Gonzales, since with him the history of Tequila Prestigio 18 was born.
Blanco tequila is the base of prestige 18 since it is distilled and bottled preserving its original citrus and herbal flavor, unlike reposado tequila that is aged for about 3 to 4 months in the prestige house, giving it nutty and woody flavors, on the other hand añejo tequila is aged for 12 months achieving a smooth and higher quality tequila.
Traditionally in Mexico, tequila is mostly tasted in a caballito, accompanied by a lemon with salt and in foreign countries they enjoy it cold. Tequila prestigio 18 recommends the use of riedel glassware or flute glass as it allows you to better taste and smell all the aromas and flavors that make up a good tequila.
Currently Prestigio 18 is produced in Jesús María, Jalisco
Despite the fact that there are about 200 species of agave, and Mexico is home to about 150 of them, tequila can only be produced exclusively with blue agave tequilana weber, Tequila Prestigio 18 is made from 100% blue agave.
Tequila cannot be frozen in a conventional refrigerator at home, since a tequila needs to be exposed to a temperature of -114 degrees Celsius to reach its freezing point, Tequila Prestigio recommends drinking straight, not because it is bad to drink cold, but nevertheless it can lose aroma and flavor when tasting.
Technically, the life of a tequila when it remains sealed is indefinite, since alcohols work as a preservative, but nevertheless once an uncorked bottle after 1 or 2 years it can lose part of its aroma and flavor if stored in the wrong way, and with poor care of the product it can become somewhat bitter or tasteless.
Tequila extra añejo is the top of the class, matured for a minimum of 3 years in American or French oak barrels among some other variations depending on the taste of the tequila masters, giving it a very smooth finish, with woody and roblizo flavors at their best achieving an extra-Premium tequila.
There are thousands of cocktails that are prepared today with tequila since it is a fairly versatile distillate, Here is a list of the most emblematic cocktails of Mexico and Jalisco made with tequila
-Classic Margarita
-Tequila Sunrise
-Paloma
-Cantarito
-Vampiro
-Charro Negro
-Pajarete
If you want to know how to prepare these cocktails from the hand of Prestigio 18 subscribe to our newsletter.
Today there are hundreds of variations in the recipe of a margarita, once called Daisy which means margarita translated into Spanish, the margarita is composed of 3 elements to create the original cocktail Tequila, Triple sec and natural lime juice, in some cases you can substitute the triple sec for natural orange juice.
The agave pineapple is jimada by hand with a stainless steel coa, a great artisanal work by our peasants, since the blue agave is full of thorns making it quite an arduous job
The maturation process of a blue agave plant can take quite some time, since it can take 5 to 7 years to be at its peak, in this way the plant absorbs all the minerals and natural sugars it needs to produce a quality tequila.
Norma Oficial Mexicana, It is a 4-digit numbering found on each bottle that lets you know from which producer a brand originates, in some cases if 2 brands share the same NOM it means that they were made by the same producer, In the case of prestige 18 Our NOM is 1639.
Tequila Prestigio 18 uses the finest Agave Azul tequilana weber, weighing in between 35 to 50 kg, harvested in Rancho josefino de allende.
Our cooking method is still very traditional, our agaves are cooked Slow in Stone brick ovens for about 2 days.
For the best results in minerality, Prestigio 18 is crafted with artisanal filtered deep well water.
Prestigio 18 extracts the juice from the agaves using a rollermill or Desgarradora
We use a slow open fermentation in stainless steel pots.
Double distillation in copper pots.
Wine French oak barrels, for a wood, nutty and berry finish, temperatures round In the 12-25 Celsius
Grupo peña Blanca de Los altos S DE R.L DE CV
Tequila Prestigio 18 Reposado is aged in wine French oak barrels for 4 months.