Década

ZAK KAUFMAN AND ZACK ARENSON ARE THE FOUNDERS OF DÉCADA TEQUILA. THE ADVENTURE STARTED WHEN THE TWO EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY TO JALISCO WITH KAUFMAN’S FIANCÉ WHOSE FAMILY ORIGINATED IN THE SMALL TOWN OF JALOSTOTITLAN. THIS IS A REGION KNOWN WIDELY AS ‘LOS ALTOS’ (THE HIGHLANDS).

AT THE TIME, THE TWO MEN HAD AN INTERPRETATION OF TEQUILA THAT RENDERED IT A CHEAP, MASS-PRODUCED AND HEADACHE-INDUCING LIQUID PRESENTED IN SHORT, STUMPY BOTTLES. AFTER ARRIVING IN JALISCO, THE TWO MEN ATTENDED A WEDDING WHERE THE BRIDE’S FAMILY HAD PROVIDED FOR GUESTS AN ARTISANAL, LOCALLY MADE, ‘ONE OFF’ BATCH TEQUILA THAT GAVE THEM A COMPLETELY NEW INTERPRETATION OF THE SPIRIT. THIS SPARKED INTEREST AND IN DIVING DEEPER INTO THE WORLD OF TEQUILA AN OBSESSION WAS BORN FOR THE AGAVE SPIRIT.

YEARS LATER, THE TWO MEN SET OUT to find a distillery to produce a profile that only lived in their head. This became nearly a two-year challenge of battling between farmers and distillers. Unfortunately, the distilleries were not as eager to change or advance tequila into anything outside of what they currently produced and rebottled for an existing number of well-known brands. Farmers were also use to selling their agave early to eager brokers ready to turn a profit. Having been harvested several years early meant that this, along with everything else, made it impossible to create the focused and uncompromisingly smooth profile that DÉCADA was after.

The journey led to the small town of San Francisco De Asis where they met Alfonso Serrano, a local agave farmer and recent distillery owner looking for a brand to produce something different. This partnership also lead to the naming of the brand as the region is located nearly 10,000 feat above sea level – creating a much higher sugar content and delicate ageing requirement of 10 years on average for the agave plants to reach full maturity. Being a single estate producer, DÉCADA has the power to create the smoothest tequila available with artisanal quality.

The bottle was then designed in collaboration between the founders and a design firm in Mexico City in an effort to show and create a functionally more advanced packaging with several key benefits. The bottle also needed to show a side of tequila and Mexico that has not been seen. A current and relevant interpretation to present-day culture instead of the same vintage approach and story all brands currently mimic. This is the key differentiator between DÉCADA’s tequila and what needed to be shown in the packaging design. Visually the entire shape represents the “X” shape, which is the logo of the brand. This shape also offers consumers the ability to get a better grip on the robust and polished bottle by grabbing closer to the center. This also allows for easy handling and fast operation for bartenders.

Experts have labeled DÉCADA as an ‘Avery elegant, flavourful, and a stylish sipping blanco”. With comments like this, its no wonder DÉCADA is an award winning tequila. With a pleather of accolades the brand has received, most recenetly DÉCADA was awarded 96 point/Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation and Great Value Award for Silver Tequila at the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

So there you have it, the story of DÉCADA tequila – an award winning tequila that comes highly recommend by the experts. ❧

DÉCADA breaking the mold with their bottle design. The design is functional, contemporary and is unlike any other bottle on the market.