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Made By Hand
And Heart
And Heart
our process
Made by hand and heart, Tequila Ocho is one of the few tequilas still made in the slow, artisanal way with the utmost care and passion. We only harvest overripe agaves from the Golden Triangle of Los Altos de Jalisco that are then slowly roasted in old brick ovens, fermented with natural airborne yeast, and distilled at low temperatures. At Ocho, nothing is rushed, which ensures maximum agave essence comes through in the final distillation. Our tequilas express unmasked, agave flavor, which is the result of this care, stewardship, and a spirit made of only three ingredients: agave, water & natural airborne yeast.
HAND &
HEART
tequila Ocho is one of the few tequilas still made in the slow, artisanal way with the utmost care and passion. With our commitment to honoring the Blue Weber Agave plant, delivering maximum agave flavor, our tequila is best enjoyed neat.
OF THE
EARTH
MANY OF OUR FIELDS ARE LOCATED IN LOS ALTOS DE JALISCO, AROUND THE CITY OF ARANDAS, WHERE THE SOIL IS RICH AND THE TEQUILAS PRODUCED HERE ARE SOFTER, ROUNDER AND FRUITIER. THE AGAVES GROW IN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AND ARE NEVER HARVESTED UNTIL EACH IS OVERRIPE.
DISCOVER OUR TERROIR
‘JIMA’
HARVEST
WHEN THE AGAVES REACH MATURITY, AFTER 7 TO 10 YEARS OF GROWTH, THE ‘JIMADORES’ (HARVESTERS), ALONG WITH THEIR TOOL CALLED A ‘COA’ (SHARP CUTTER), ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CUTTING THE PENCAS (LEAVES) IN ORDER TO GET TO THE HEART OF THE PLANT, OR ‘PIÑA.’ THEY ARE THEN BROUGHT TO THE DISTILLERY TO BE CRAFTED INTO TEQUILA.
“As I got closer to Mexico, I felt life there. The blood, the sweat, the smoke of life in the ganglions of the dust. That was, to me, my hook to real life.”
COOKING & Crushing
nEXT, WE SLOW COOK The ‘piñas’ IN BRICK OVENS FOR 48 HOURS to PRODUCE plenty of sweetness. tHEN ALLOW THEM TO sit in the oven for an additional 24 hours for cooling.
AFTER THE ROAST, THE AGAVES ARE CRUSHED BY A ROLLER MILL, SHREDDING THE FIBERS AND PRESSING OUT THE SWEET AGAVE JUICE FROM THE PIÑAS.
AFTER THE ROAST, THE AGAVES ARE CRUSHED BY A ROLLER MILL, SHREDDING THE FIBERS AND PRESSING OUT THE SWEET AGAVE JUICE FROM THE PIÑAS.
FERMENTATION
Fermentation technically begins as the agaves cool after roasting. Once crushed, the pressed agave juice is added to the wood vats, left to ferment for 100 hours through natural airborne yeast, which is present in the region.
distillation
distillation
Tequila Ocho is double pot-distilled, with the second distillation taking place in a very small, fully-copper pot still, modeled after Carlos’s grandfather’s original copper pot stills. The high contact with copper allows the still to naturally remove unwanted compounds from the liquid. Distilling slowly at low temperatures results in a flavorful tequila with a rich, full body and silky mouthfeel.
aging
TEQUILA OCHO’S AGED EXPRESSIONS REST IN 200 LITER AMERICAN OAK BARRELS, PREVIOUSLY USED FOR AGING AMERICAN WHISKEY. THESE BARRELS HAVE HAD SEVERAL PREVIOUS FILLINGS OF TEQUILA, RENDERING THEM MORE ‘SEASONED,’ OR MATURE. THE RESULT IS A TEQUILA NOT OVERLY INFLUENCED BY THE OAK, ALLOWING FOR THE AGAVE PROFILE TO SHINE, SIMPLY KISSED WITH A COOKED AGAVE NOTE.
