Though they’ve been in business since 1942, when Don Julio González revolutionized the tequila category, Tequila Don Julio has managed to create a silky, modern take on tequila with Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel, a new, permanent addition to its luxury portfolio.
Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel features slightly sweet notes of agave honey, spiced orchard fruit, creamy caramel, and hints of the brand’s signature rich, roasted agave. Perfect for sipping on the rocks garnished with an orange slice, neat, or in cocktails like the Round of Applause, this blend of unaged and aged tequilas is poised to make its mark on the spirits scene. With passion, creativity, and a profound love and respect for Mexico, Tequila Don Julio has done it again —solo y siempre, por amor.
A Legacy of Excellence
Alma Miel is crafted with premium, ripened, and fully matured Blue Weber agave that’s hand-selected after growing for five to seven years in the rich clay soils of Jalisco’s Los Altos region. The Los Altos Highlands region of Jalisco, Mexico, is home to rich clay soils, an ideal microclimate, and altitude that all influence the finished product. At 6,500 feet above sea level, Don Julio González chose this area, with its warm days and cool nights, to create exceptional tequila. The high altitude’s physical demands notwithstanding, he founded the legendary La Primavera distillery, where Tequila Don Julio was founded.
Since 1947, over three generations of jimador families have partnered with Tequila Don Julio, lending their masterful planting, farming, and harvesting skills. In place of industrial or mechanized techniques, the jimadors harvest agave plants one at a time — a painstaking process whereby the pencas (leaves) are hand-cut from each piña.
These precision cuts are made close to the agave’s hearts to extract each plant’s maximum flavor. This hard work and dedication to detail yield premium tequila worth honoring Don Julio González’s legacy.
Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel Process
As the piñas slowly roast in stone ovens, carbohydrates transform into glucose and fructose — part of the agave honey. Later, the agave hearts are crushed to release the liquid. The liquid is extracted and fermented with a proprietary yeast to ensure a distinctive flavor profile. Using their proprietary enmelado process, a unique blend of blanco tequila is distilled with the oven-roasted agave honey. This liquid is collected and blended with añejo, which has been aged for a minimum of 14 months in Crémant de Limoux barrels from France’s Limoux region, resulting in a joven tequila — a blend of aged and unaged tequila.
With its ultra-smooth mouthfeel and notes of rich oven-roasted agave honey, stone fruit, and rich caramel, Don Julio Alma Miel is best enjoyed in its purest form: neat or on the rocks.
The Legacy Lives On
To this day, Tequila Don Julio employs the same standards of production that Don Julio González set when he began his lifelong journey with tequila. His words, “When you have passion, you have everything,” continue to resonate with Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel.
This article is sponsored by Tequila Don Julio.
The article How It’s Made: Crafting Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel appeared first on VinePair.