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Don Felipe Camarena was born into a family that had distilled tequila since back in the early 1800s. The family’s original distillery was destroyed and abandoned during the Mexican Revolution.
Don Felipe began his career by growing and selling agave plants to other distillers. But since tequila making was in his blood, he started distilling his own tequila, selecting only the ripest plants and using equipment from his family’s original distillery.
In 1937, Don Felipe opened La Alteña Distillery in a mountainous region of Jalisco, Mexico, known for producing the best blue agave. His passion for doing things just right inspired his family to continue handcrafting El Tesoro so it could be enjoyed by future generations, too.
Don Felipe passed the business to his son, Felipe J. Camarena Orozco, who in turn passed it on to his daughters, Lilianna and Gabriela, and to his son, Carlos, who today, as Master Distiller, maintains the standards of excellence set down by his grandfather, Don Felipe.
La Alteña Distillery reached a proud milestone on July 7, 2007 — 70 years of handcrafting one of the world's finest tequilas.
El Tesoro is the only 100% blue agave tequila double distilled at 80 proof and bottled without any additional water to preserve the tequila's real flavour. Other tequila makers distil to a high proof and then dilute the tequila with water to bring it down to 80 proof.
Over the past three years the tequilas from La Alteña distillery (including the El Tesoro and Tapatio brands) have become a phenomenon in the UK on-trade and they now enjoy an unrivalled reputation for quality, integrity and authenticity amongst bartenders and tequila connoisseurs.
The Range
Silver - Smooth, spicy and supple, this delicious silver tequila is the perfect introduction to the El Tesoro range and is bottled immediately, while the other expressions are aged in oak barrels to add varying degrees of sweetness.
Reposado - Mellow and rich, with subtle wood tones. Reposado ("rested") tequila, by law, requires ageing for two months. El Tesoro Reposado is exceptionally well rested. It's aged for eight to 11 months in oak barrels to bring in a hint of sweetness from the wood, without overpowering the spicy agave flavour.
Anejo - Remarkably full and balanced flavour, described by many connoisseurs as one of the world's finest sipping tequilas. Mexican law requires Añejo ("aged") tequila to mature for at least one year. El Tesoro Añejo is aged for two to three years in oak barrels.
Platinum - Crystal clear and exceptionally smooth. Only the sweetest part of the Agave plant goes into El Tesoro Platinum, which makes it perfect for mixing. Spicy, peppery El Tesoro Platinum is a taste sensation that stands head and shoulders abover other silver tequilas
Paradiso - Irresistible and deliciously smooth. Literally a "paradise" created by Don Felipe Camarena and Alain Royer of A. de Fussigny Cognac, this unique, handcrafted blend of 100% blue agave tequilas takes on a remarkable elegance from its distinct, Cognac-barrel ageing process.
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