Loco Tequila: An Insane Liquid Adventure

First: The Legacy

As an engineer of high rank and to distinguish his tequila from others, Padilla needed to construct this endeavor on very solid grounds. The passion to create one of the purest possible spirits in the world was there, but it required more for longevity. The team purchased the legendary Hacienda La Providencia, in the Valle del Arenal, Jalisco, which is the gateway to the “Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila,” declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, the original birthplace of tequila production.

It is a reflection to the 18th century when the Hacienda La Providencia stood tall as the region’s primary urban distillery. In the 1940s, Don Avelino Ruiz Rosales, the visionary owner of the distillery, revolutionized tequila production. As the first exporter of tequila to Europe, he transformed La Providencia into a thriving distillery, potentially one of the best, with state-of-the-art production methods. Ruiz Rosales suddenly passed away in 1952. After about 10 years, production stopped and La Providencia eventually became abandoned, but its historical value and contributions to El Arenal remained cherished.

If the acquisition of La Providencia became a rescue mission, it carried along a legacy of more than 120 years, honoring the original essence of the agave azul. La Providencia’s agave plantations produce plants that result in an incomparable and rare tequila. But it also means that Loco Tequila is dedicated to keeping the 18th-century traditions and ancestral knowledge of tequila-making. These methods are revived and combined with Loco Tequila’s cutting-edge proprietary triple fermentation technology. This fusion of traditional and modern techniques ensures that Loco Tequila stands out as a unique and exceptional product in the world of tequila, for an unparalleled taste of the past and future.

Loco Tequila celebrates each piece that defines its motto: heritage, terroir, tequila, and art.

Loco Tequila team is working on the restoration of the Hacienda de La Providencia. Their promise is to recover the splendor of the past and take it into the future.

Second: El Terruño

To ensure and control high standards of quality, Loco Tequila owns 150 acres of Weber Blue just two miles away. El Arenal sits at the foot of Volcán de Tequila. Over the millennia, it deposited lava across the area, creating fertile and naturally aerated soils that are ideal for growing agave. The fields boast rare and exceptional soil characteristics, classified with Denomination of Origin status. The blend of loam, clay, limestone, basalt, and volcanic rock infuses the soil creating an unparalleled environment. The terroir is under an ideal micro-climate for growing agave, with unmatched conditions of soil, well-water derived from the Bosque de la Primavera Forest, at an of altitude 4,757 feet above sea level. The agaves undergo a patient 6- to 7-year growth period, hand-selected by third generation Maestro Agavero José Antonio Sánchez López, with each agave averaging 80 lbs. and sometimes reaching up to 175 lbs.

Another reason why Loco Tequila owns its agave plantation is so it can protect the land from over-cultivation. With the assistance of José Antonio Sánchez López and his multi-generational knowledge of the terruño, they are able to properly respect the land. Instead of overcrowded rows, they use the ancient practice called “Guachimontones,” a circular planting method with double separation between the agave plants that conserves water and nutrients. Dating back 2,000 years, this practice, found in the Valleys of Tequila, not only preserves the land but also helps prevent soil erosion, and respects the earth while enriching the soil. Loco Tequila also composts as many raw materials into fertilizer as they can.

Loco Tequila’s agaves reproduce naturally by means of offshoots. These shoots are born at the foot of the mother agave plant. Once the hijuelos (baby agave) reach the ideal size, they are meticulously separated from the mother plant. These offspring undergo a transformative process, and are then planted in a new plot within the El Arenal terroir. They are destined to flourish independently over the next seven years.

From the terroir to the bottle…

Third: El Entresaque

“Entresaque,” harvesting agave for ultra-premium tequila that is Loco Tequila, is a meticulous process that requires expert knowledge and patience.

From recognizing the optimum point of maturity to the shaving process, each step is essential in creating the perfect sip of tequila.

The Jimadores hand-select only the best 7- to 9-year-old agaves at a perfect maturity. This ensures that the tequila profiles boast exceptional flavors derived from precisely aged and sugar-rich agaves. They leave behind any less desirable plants.

Each sip of Loco Tequila reflects not just a spirit but an exceptional artistic expression of agave essence.

Fourth: The Process

To produce tequilas at the level of quality that Loco Tequila is doing, they have to make it different.

Double Jima

To stay true to the flavor of the blue agave and remove unwanted flavors and impurities, Loco Tequila takes an extra step that most tequila producers do not do. After the first shaving (jima) that occurs in the fields during the harvest, a “double jima” is performed by the jimadores, just before cooking, exposing the white flesh, and further removing astringent plant matter.

And as a final step, the cogollo (heart) is discarded, eliminating its waxy and bitter elements from the fermentation. This process preserves the purest elements of the agave.

It takes 10 to 14 kilos of agave to make 1 liter of Loco Tequila.
It takes 3 to 5 kilos of agave to make 1 liter of most other tequila brands.

Cooking

The hand-selected shaved agaves are cooked over a three-day period in cement masonry ovens (horno), using only the purest well-water derived from the Bosque de la Primavera Forest, 25 miles away, infusing the agaves with undertones of limestone, minerality, and volcanic rock — always steamed, never diffused, at 100 degrees. Then, there is a 24-hour resting period. Most brands cook their agave in autoclaves for 8 to twelve hours at 500 degrees.

This is another way to get a much richer product. Cooking transforms the agave’s natural starches and carbohydrates into simple fermentable sugars.

The Maceration

Then comes the maceration. Both the tahona, an ancient volcanic grinding two-ton stone, and a small roller mill are used. The fibers are slowly crushed to obtain the agave juice.

This process is known to extract the depth of flavors and aromas in tequila. This ancient technique has been modernized at Loco Tequila with an electric motor — you won’t see a donkey going around in circles.

The Yeasts

And here again comes Hacienda La Providencia with its treasures: yeasts from the 100-year-old wooden tanks. Maestro Tequilero Alberto Navarro utilizes these ancestral yeasts combined with new strains to create an alchemy, resulting in pristine flavor profiles that honor the original identity of tequila.

The fermentation takes place in six separate open-air tanks of three different kinds; a combination of cement and steel, as well as wooden tanks, or pipones..

The Distillation

Navarro now has a palette of flavors to start the distillation. Each fermentation is individually double distilled in small batch copper pot stills. In order to ensure the highest levels of purity in the final blends, narrow selections are retained, widely discarding far more “heads and tails” than others in the industry.

There is absolutely no additive during the process. The distilled product is 100% pure agave.

“Love and passion infuse every part of our process. Our goal is to create exceptional terruño tequila that expresses the true, authentic, and bold flavors of ripe, slowly cooked blue Weber agave,” says Juan Pablo Torres Padilla.

The Art

The details of the craftsmanship of Loco Tequila continue in the look of the bottle and the boxes. They are designed by world-renowned Dutch artist Jan Hendrix, a Mexico resident for over 40 years.

Each element of the packaging is thoughtfully infused with Mexican history to celebrate the heritage of Loco Tequila:
• The round shape of the bottle symbolizes Los Guachimontones. Located an hour west of Guadalajara, Los Guachimontones are the jewel in western Mexico’s archaeological crown. They are characterized by large, stepped conical structures that form concentric circles.
• The silver color represents the Mexican “Silver Rush” during the colonial era.
• The red reflects the pigment derived from the cochineal beetle, difficult and expensive to produce, known to be used for art back in the days by masters.
• The agave plant prominently featured on the box.

And now: The Results

Three truly unique and luxurious ultra-premium tequilas.

Loco Tequila Blanco ($135)

Embodies the perfect blend of character and style, defying convention with its unique profile. Its transparent clarity reveals herbal notes of fresh agave, green bell pepper, and rosemary, complemented by fruity hints of sweet, cooked agave and citrus.

The astonishingly velvety mouthfeel lingers with a clean, long finish.

Loco Tequila Ámbar ($199)

With a limited production, reposado reflects a highly artisanal blending of Loco Blanco which has been rested for 8-10 months in four rare, hand-selected barrels: Irish whiskey and stout beer, aged port, Pedro Ximenez sherry and new French oak, resulting in a layered, elegant tequila with notes of honey, malt, roasted grains, nuts, and delicate florals.

The amber hue reflects an elegant, layered complexity that retains its bright agave identity and a signature, fresh finish.

Loco Tequila Puro Corazón ($349)

This is the crown jewel of the Loco Tequila portfolio. It is a pristine sipping tequila unparalleled in its refinement (please, no cocktail with this one). Puro Corazón refers to the “pure heart” of the distillation from which this tequila has been meticulously and expertly collected, drop by drop, with zero reintegration of the “heads and tails.”

Crafted with precision and passion, each bottle offers a velvety smoothness and exquisite flavor profile, featuring sweet agave, delicate herbs, and hints of mint and eucalyptus.

You will definitively taste the difference with every sip of Loco Puro Corazón.

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