Spirit Of The Week: Patrón El Alto Tequila
Patrón takes a shot at the booming “prestige” tequila category with El Alto.
Patrón cut a name for themselves crafting premium tequila from day one, growing into the world’s top-selling super-premium tequila in the few decades since the brand’s 1989 inception. This winter the Jalisco label released their first expression in the booming “prestige” category.
Aptly dubbed Patrón El Alto, the name is an homage to their terroir (the famed Hacienda located in Atotonilco, El Alto), and the translation, literally meaning “the heights.” Made from 100% highland-grown Blue Weber agaves, these high-altitude piñas are known to boast the most sugar, and therefore sweetness, in tequila.
Famous for these highland agaves, Patrón’s El Alto was primarily crafted from barrels of 4-year old extra añejo, blended with both añejo and reposado tequilas—all allegedly aged to their maximum potential then blended to achieve the apex of Patrón’s flavor profiles.
“In crafting El Alto, our goal was to innovate in a way that achieved the best blended-aged tequila possible,” Patrón Tequila Master Distiller David Rodriguez tells Maxim.
“While the four-year extra añejo certainly played a significant role in the flavor profile and eventual blend that became Patrón El Alto, we didn’t limit ourselves to this expression alone. We remained focused on perfecting the tequila combination and cultivating the best flavor possible,” Rodriguez continues.
“Our focus wasn’t to achieve a particular flavor, but rather to find the right flavor combinations using the most natural ingredients.”
Patrón reveals the process required over 300 tastings and almost two years to perfect—the resulting spirit offering rich notes of figs, honey, caramel, dried fruit and vanilla. Patrón El Alto comes bottled at 40% ABV with a SRP of $180.
Follow Contributing Spirits Editor Nicolas Stecher at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.