Some Largely Unknown Facts about Patron Tequila Pt 2

In the last article we covered some of the lesser-known facts of Patron tequila including agave’s historical significance to the country of Mexico and the origins of Tequila itself. Next, we’ll go over how that classic process blends with a modern approach.

Classic and Contemporary Styles Mix In Their Tequila Making Process

Traditionally, donkeys were used to pull a giant stone wheel or Tahona to crush the cooked pinas and extract its juice. However, this is an old school method, and the process is extremely slow. It would require at least 3 hours to crush 7 tons of cooked agave. Plus, it demands equipment pieces and manpower six times as that demanded by modern distillation processes.

You can hardly see any distillery that relies on this ancient method these days. Surprisingly, Patron still employs the same method but has replaced the donkeys with electric motors. Besides, Tahonas is a significant investment since it lasts for two years. To make Patron tequila, the supplier has to find a sufficiently bigger stone and then sculpt it as required by hand.

Once the Weber blue agave is crushed, the extracted juice is fermented with fiber in order to enhance its herbaceous flavors. It would be worth noting that Patron is among the largest Tahona tequila producing companies in the world, and operates ten Tahona wheels at the same time. Nevertheless, the flavors of the liquor made using the Tahona process can sometimes be a bit overpowering. Hence, Patron usually incorporates roller mills in the process to jettison the fiber waste as soon as it is crushed. All of these factors contribute to the cost as well as the rich flavors characteristic of the Patron tequila collection.

Patron has the World's First Tequila Inspector

Do you know Francisco Alcaraz? He was the first tequila inspector in the world. He used to visit several distilleries and watch their manufacturing process to verify who is making real tequila and for how much.

He is famed for his knowledge regarding different tequila manufacturing processes and is currently employed by Patron. This master distiller has his eye on every single bottle of Patron tequila. In fact, he has the last word when it comes to mixing the barrels, creating the perfect profile, and the proportion of tahona juice to be mixed with the roller mill juice. In simple words, he is a tequila alchemist. This man is so important to the company that they even eternalized him with his own statue in their estate courtyard.