OUR ORIGIN STORY

"On a quest to discover my heritage, I bottled the spirit of Jalisco. The Mexican art of tequila production is a tradition that's culturally passed down from father to son, from grandfather to grandson. I have a different story, as a Mexican-American woman whose passion was ignited by the reconnection to my Mexican cultural heritage through the reconnection to my Jalisco-born father after nearly two decades of separation."

CEO & FOUNDER, SOFÍA PALOMA JUÁREZ

"I WANTED TO BOTTLE A MEMORY."

THE MAKING OF OUR TEQUILA BLANCO ENSEMBLE 

Not all tequila travels the same path. In our mission to create a rare, handcrafted expression of tequila blanco, we discovered the ability to blend two methods — a marriage of both the traditional and ancestral production methods — an elegant balance of past and present.

"ON A QUEST TO DISCOVER MY HERITAGE, I BOTTLED THE SPIRIT OF JALISCO."

Handcrafted by harmonizing new-world and old-world processes including stone tahona crushing, earthen pit roasting, copper Pot Still distillation and stainless steel fermentation, CASA J Tequila Blanco Ensemble delivers a refined yet soulful spirit. 

"An elegant balance of past and present, of handcrafted and contemporary."

ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL METHOD

Each bottle of CASA J Tequila Blanco Ensemble consists of 93% Tequila Traditional and 7% Tequila Ancestral. 

COOKING: To develop the traditional tequila portion of our Blanco Ensemble, we cook mature blue weber agave hearts (also known as Piñas, which are harvested at a peak maturity of seven years) into a stainless steel masonry oven, where they're slowly cooked with steam for 24 hours. During this slow cooking, the Piñas shift from vibrant green to deep caramel brown, developing the succulent flavors that define our spirit. After cooking, the Piñas rest for another day to cool and settle before being pressed for juice. 

MASHING: After some rest, we place the cooked Piñas onto the stainless conveyer belt to be juiced, where the miel de agave, or agave honey, is led into stainless steel tanks to be fermented into alcohol. This miel de agave is the base of tequila — the liquid of its very creation. 

FERMENTATION: The miel de agave is then transferred into open-air stainless steel tanks with proprietary yeast for 3-4 days of spontaneous fermentation to develop into alcohol. 

DISTILLATION: This fermented liquid is then double-distilled in a stainless steel still through steam, and the high levels of alcohol evaporate, and with help of precision by our Maestro Tequilero, until we reach the final product at 42% ABV.

ABOUT THE ANCESTRAL METHOD

Tequila ancestral is born from the harmony of hands, copper, and earth. You may have seen the word 'ancestral' on a bottle of mezcal, but it's rare for the tequila industry, as this is one of the most handcrafted and patient methods of developing the product. 

COOKING: An above-ground, earthen stone oven is heated with burning wood for 3 days. Once the oven is piping hot, the oven is filled with raw Piñas. The oven is then hand-sealed with sacred fir wood and wet soil, where the Piñas are cooked for a total of 3 days.

MASHING: Once the Piñas are fully cooked and sugary sweet, exuding with miel de agave, they exit the oven to be hand-mashed inside of a wooden tree trunk.

FERMENTATION: The juice is then placed into open-air wooden barrels for a 4-day process of natural, spontaneous fermentation.

DISTILLATION: Our tequila ancestral distills in Copper Pot Stills over a wood-burning oven, which is also known as the Filipino method. High-proof tequila drips into glass gallon bottles, and our Maestro Tequilero removes the 'heads' and the 'tails,' or very high and very low alcohol percentage distillates of the tequila, to only keep the purest expression of the spirit which we bottle at 42% ABV. 

THE FINAL RESULT 

After producing both our traditional and ancestral tequila blanco, we marry the two to create a blend of 93% tequila traditional and 7% tequila traditional, imbuing the following notes:

AROMAS: Fresh citrus, bright floral, succulent cooked agave, caramel, green apple, rosemary, nuances of sweet pineapple. "A perfect integration of the alcohol into the bouquet that allows all the elements to take center stage without any one standing out," notes Juan Carlos Vera, Maestro Tequilero, or master distiller at CASA J. 

"AN AROMATIC BOUQUET WHERE THE COOKED AGAVE TAKES CENTER STAGE."

TASTE: Fresh citrus, slow-cooked agave, full-bodied and elegant green apple and pineapple, hints of fresh rosemary.

PALETTE: Silky smooth with a long-lasting taste and aftertaste. Rounded aromas and flavors with a harmonious balance, denoting a tequila carefully crafted throughout all stages of its production process. "Beautifully integrated into the bouquet of flavors," notes Juan Carlos Vera. 

"A MARRIAGE OF TWO METHODS, DESIGNED TO BE ENJOYED NEAT."