El Jimador Tequila

LET’S JUMP RIGHT IN: NO BULL HERE. JUST REALLY AWESOME TEQUILA THAT RELIES ON EXPERT CRAFTSMANSHIP. SO MUCH SO THAT THIS JALISCO-CRAFTED SPIRIT IS NAMED AFTER THE HARDWORKING JIMADORS THAT MAKE IT POSSIBLE. WITH ALL OF THIS CONSIDERED, IT’S NO WONDER EL JIMADOR IS THE NUMBER-ONE SELLING 100% AGAVE TEQUILA IN MEXICO.

The brand name El Jimador honors the men who harvest the agave with great pride and care. GOT A BOTTLE IN YOUR HAND? Look closer, you’ll notice an outline etched into the bottle, above the label. That’s a Jimador working hard to harvest the agave that is the heart and soul of tequila. Not only is the brand named after these hard working individuals, but it has chosen to pay homage to the dedication and craftsmanship displayed by these masters of their craft. Next time you’re enjoying a drink with El Jimador, raise your glass to these guys, the ones that made it happen.

Because it’s all about simplicity and quality at the Casa Herradura distillery, you won’t hear any tall tales about the way it’s made, no over-elaborate spiel about the process. El Jimador is 100 per cent, real tequila, and its quality is assured through a nine-step process that the distillery has been perfecting for over two decades.

Step one: cultivation. This is where it all begins; where the 100% blue agave is planted in the Casa Herradura fields and left to grow and mature for a minimum of seven years, but can be left up to 10 for certain types of tequila. It is here that they are nurtured by the Jimadors, who make sure they are growing correctly and decide when it’s time for step two; harvesting. When the agave has matured to the Jimador’s liking, its outer leaves are shorn using a large coa (blade) to reveal the piña, the hardened ‘heart’ of the plant, and harvested to be taken to the distillery. Step three is cooking, where the tough piñas are heated to convert the starch into fermentable sugars. The piña resembles a pineapple, but is about as hard as a mature coconut all the way through. Cooking softens the piña hearts so they’re ready for step four: milling. Once all of the piña are properly cooked, we extract the sugary juice.

Step five is fermentation, where the juice is placed into large vats and left to sit for 96 hours (four days) until an ABV of around 8 per cent is achieved. We’re almost there, but not quite. From here, it’s on to step six: distillation. The spirit is distilled twice to refine its taste and gain a higher percentage of alcohol (score), then, in step seven, it is diluted with purified water. Which brings us to step eight: maturation, only relevant to our Reposado and Añejo expressions (Blanco is un-aged, delivering fresh pure agave notes). This is when the spirit is placed in wooden barrels and develops its signature colour and taste. Finally, we are at step nine: bottling. Where the tequilera has the tough gig of tasting each barrel to make sure it’s good and ready to be sent off and find its way to you.

See? No nonsense, just pure expertise and craftsmanship by the best in the business.

So you can mix up your drink shelf, shake up your tipple and get to know this pure spirit on a deeper level. And have a lot of fun doing it.

So, what will you do with your El Jimador Tequila? ❧