Tequila General Gorostieta

The artisanal means

of Mexico’s yesteryear

OUR MANIFESTO / OUR MISSION

Tequila General Gorostieta is an homage to courage. It is a love letter and a silent acknowledgement to those who stand and fight for what they believe in, those who overcome adversity with bravery and resilience. To those who have chosen sacrifice yet remain faithful to the cause they pursue. A tequila for those who believe.

General Gorostieta’s story is one of sacrifice, valor, and endurance. A hidden and almost unknown story written 100 years ago. Today we have decided to dust it off, tell it truthfully, and spread it to the world.

THE STORY BEHIND THE BRAND

General Enrique Gorostieta was the leader of the Cristero movement, a civil war during post-revolutionary Mexico, in the 1920s. He graduated from the Heroico Colegio Militar with an impeccable arms career that reached its peak way beyond the end of the Porfiriato era. Considered an extraordinary infantry strategist, his shrewdness earned him a prompt promotion to the rank of Brigadier General at the age of twenty-four.

Among other feats, he led the defense of the Port of Veracruz against the landing of US naval forces. However, with the arrival of the Mexican Revolution and the dissolution of the Porfirian army, Gorostieta’s military career was cut short as he was dismissed from duty and sent into exile in El Paso, Texas.

Upon his return to Mexico, Gorostieta faced the unsparing anticlerical onslaught by the nascent government that had arisen from the revolution. Thus his military calling was renewed, charged with leading the civil movement in defense of faith.

Against all odds and without adequate or sufficient weapons or ammunition, he turned a handful of rebels into a formidable military force of more than 25,000 men, capable of putting the regime of President Plutarco Elías Calles in check. The multiple obstacles and scarcity of resources were overcome by leadership, courage, and discipline. Initially an atheist, he became a devout Christian through fighting, convinced of the courage and faith of his warriors.

It is a story of resilience, defense of freedom, truth, and belief. Built on the faith of people who refused to be deprived of their liberty, who took up arms against oppression to assert their faith. They always fought firm to their beliefs with the certainty that their cause was just, and they won.

They defeated their oppressor.

Towards the end of the civil war, he refused to agree with the federal government, declaring that he would not allow the spilled blood of those who fought in defense of freedom to be in vain. And though he was ambushed and assassinated on June 2, 1929, his legacy triumphed.

His story was masterfully brought to life by Hollywood in the movie For Greater Glory.

AGAVE

Our agave is from the Los Altos region on the northern side of Jalisco. It grows from six to seven years at an altitude of more than 2000 meters above sea level, tended with care and at ideal temperatures. The climate and soil conditions ensure a lush agave with fruity notes and that it gathers an abundance of sugars over the years.

One by one, our agave is carefully selected, handpicked, and tested for sugars’ levels right on the fields, to guarantee that our prized ingredient will develop the signature aromas and flavors of our Tequila. Once chosen, the Jima (the cut of the agave) is made one inch from the piña (the plant’s core) to ensure the herbal presence, aroma, and notes of wet soil that provide the characteristic raw agave taste of Tequila Blanco (Silver Tequila).

THE COOKING PROCESS

Our agave is cut into pieces and placed in an artisanal stone oven, where it is steamed at a temperature between 90ºC and 100ºC for at least 24 hours, allowing it to cool down for an additional 24 hours.

Once cooked and caramelized, the agave is taken out of the oven and placed on a conveyor belt that leads to a basic mechanic mill. This machine separates the agave juice from the bagasse, taking the first step towards the fermentation phase.

FERMENTATION

The fermentation vat is carefully prepared with our chosen yeast that has been primed and activated along with fortified nutrients. Once the agave juice is poured into the vat, the yeast will begin slowly converting the sugars into alcohol. No chemical accelerators are added. During this process, which lasts about 96 hours, the wort or “mosto” is carefully watched with constant and periodical revision of temperature, PH, and the conversion rate of sugar into alcohol.

48 hours into the process, we again add a portion of the yeast and nutrients, which expedites the completion of the fermentation process in a uniform way. Finally, having done all of this, our finished “mosto” is ready to be distilled.

This process is accompanied by classical music, the sound waves encouraging the smooth and consistent work of the yeast in converting sugars into alcohol.

DISTILLATION

The distillation process takes place in copper pot stills and is divided into two steps: destrozado, which takes 16 hours, and rectificado, which takes 8 hours. These processes separate and purify our “mosto“, eliminating any undesired elements, be it water, organic matter, or disagreeable or toxic alcohols.

This is traditionally referred to as cutting “las cabezas y las colas” (the heads and tails), so we are left with the corazón only the very heart of the Tequila.

And so, at 56ºC, General Gorostieta is born.

The process is performed under the strict direction of our Maestra Tequilera (tequila master), who ensures the utmost quality every step of the way. These processes have been developed through intense attention to detail, discipline and perseverance, and require patience and constant observation of both the temperature and alcohol levels. In addition, the distillers periodically sample both the copper pot still stream as it pours in the food-grade stainless steel vat, and that of the entire volume in the vat, to ensure full consistency and composition of the formula.

BOTTLING & PACKAGING

Once the distillation process is complete, the Tequila is placed in food-grade stainless steel vats where it is cold filtered to eliminate any fatty acids and give it its final shine. We do not use any additives or colorants in our Tequila, as we honor and support the “additive-free” mark from TequilaMatchMaker.com.

Our Tequila Joven is the result of a delicate blend between Tequila Blanco stored and stabilized in vessels for a month, and Tequila Reposado rested in dual-use American Oak barrels for 8 months. As a result, General Gorostieta is the best of both worlds, preserving the fresh and herbal qualities of Tequila Blanco while enhanced by the aromas, smoothness, and silkiness of Tequila Reposado.

Every bottle is carefully inspected against a beam of light, then filled and labeled by hand with meticulous attention and care to detail. Finally, our Maestra Tequilera thoroughly examines and certifies each bottle by signing and numbering every label that passes her quality standards. Only then can a Tequila truly be called General Gorostieta: a limited, small batch of only the best.

TASTING NOTES

Tequila Joven (Blend of Blanco and Reposado Tequila)

Visual phase: Bright, straw-colored with silver and gold hues, full-bodied and sumptuous. Olfactory phase: At first impression, notes of caramel, vanilla, and coconut are perceived due to its barrel aging, with soft hints of citrus, lemon, and orange blossom. Delicate shades of preserved fruits, cherry, peach, fresh grass, and intense cooked agave. Tasting phase: Sweet, with magnificent complexity of flavors and mouthfeel. A forward presence of intense cooked agave and a soft aftertaste of ripe grapefruit.

Suggested pairings

To be paired with strong and intense flavors that enhance the Tequila’s notes against the food. Seafood such as shellfish, chocolate clams, fresh ceviches, fish dishes with strong flavorings, or coconut shrimp. Pairs well with charcuterie such as prosciutto and jabugo or cured cheeses such as goat, bleu, manchego, port salut, or Roquefort. Pairs extraordinarily well with dark chocolate, particularly 70% cocoa and above, quince jelly, chocolate-covered strawberries, and crème brûlée. The pairing with cigars is exceptional.

Tequila Blanco (Silver Tequila)

Visual phase: Bright, luminous, white with silver hues, and full-bodied. Olfactory phase: At first impression, intense notes of caramel, vanilla, cooked agave, and dulce de leche develop due to its slow cooking. Fruity hints of red pomegranate, yellow plum, chico zapote, and citrus tones of grapefruit and lemon define the Alteño terroir. Light spicy notes of black pepper, floral aromas of rose petals, and subtle mineral tones due to its careful distillation compose its balanced profile. Tasting phase: Its first impression on the palate is silky, fully confirming its olfactory promise leaving traces of fruity, sweet, floral, and mineral flavors as well as the cooked agave taste. It’s a sweet and drawn-out mouthfeel.

Consumption Instructions

To be served in a flute or tequila glass, not a shot glass. Store between 12ºC and 15ºC. Do not store in a freezer. Once served, allow it to breathe and rest in a glass for 5 minutes.

OUR SYMBOLS

Our logo, the horse, and its rider.

The isotype that decorates the brand is the representation of General Gorostieta. This design seeks to consolidate and memorialize the General into a single graphic element: the steed he rode into battle and the cause he fought and died for.

He is shown riding into battle before his troops on a Friesian stallion while bravely raising the banner of the Cristero cause upon his right arm, the steed rearing upon two legs symbolizing that the leader died in battle.

IDENTITY

THE BOTTLE

Our clear transparent glass bottle is tall and slender with a modest, pure, and sober label that commemorates the General’s military spirit, a label that expresses what is strictly necessary. The logo of our Tequila Joven bottle is engraved on the bottle by the artisanal process of silica sandblasting with finishing touches of gold chroma that accentuates the distinctive elements of the time, between the late XIX and early XX centuries.

THE CORK

The metallic cork bears the imperial eagle of the Escudo Nacional Mexicano (Mexican National Emblem) with honor and respect. This symbol was active in the twilight of the Porfiriato era (1890 – 1909) right before the Mexican Revolution, precisely at the entry of the then cadet Enrique Gorostieta to the Heroico Colegio Militar (Heroic Military School). It unfolds with the eagle head-on and wings open, the serpent, the tricolored ribbon, the nopal, and the prickly pears, as well as the oak and laurel branches; all national symbols any true Mexican will recognize. With hints of French-Germanic influence, typical of the time, it is the same shield that crowns the mausoleum of General Porfirio Díaz Mori in Paris, France.

THE SECONDARY PACKAGING

The luxurious outer packaging honors the colors and design of the formal uniform of the cadets of the Heroico Colegio Militar, from which General Gorostieta graduated as an Officer. The color of his majestic black frock coat is elegant, sober, and refined. The collars, cuffs, and the 25mm crimson red band that flank the pants of the military uniform date from the year 1823 and were accentuated by the new regulation of uniforms for Generals, Chiefs, Officers and Troops of the Mexican Army issued in 1898, remaining until the introduction of the current gala garments in 1947. The golden gleam of the double row buttons reflects the honor, pride, and respect paid to the institution.

Beyond the period, it reminds us of the battles that Mexico has fought to become the nation it is today, and it is a message to the world of the pride and strength of our national symbols.