Tequila · Mexico
Tequila, field to glass
Blue agave to the horizon, an extinct volcano behind it, and tequila crushed under a stone tahona that tastes of cooked agave, earth and pepper, nothing like the shot you remember. We take you through the family doors of the Jalisco highlands near Guadalajara, private and end to end, with nights in a 17th-century agave hacienda.
Why we come back here
Because in Jalisco the spirit never stands apart.
In Jalisco the spirit never stands apart from the place. You taste it in the field where the agave grows, poured by the person who cut it, next to a breakfast cooked on a comal over coals. There is no line between a distillery visit and a family meal. From the first cantarito you are a guest, not a tourist.
What still moves us is how close it is to the wine world we know, and how far. The best producers here talk about terroir, about volcanic red soil and highland altitude, and age their spirit in barrels the way a winemaker would. Then you climb to a mirador above the Tequila Valley, look out over an ocean of blue agave, and remember there is nothing like this anywhere in Europe.
The trip does not stop at the fields. Guadalajara is Mexican culture at its peak: high craft and chef’s tables, cocktail bars among the best in the world, and 5-star hotels with real character, next to the markets, the underground art, the street food and the local cantinas. Luis, our man on the ground and a Tapatío to the core, knows every alley of it and takes you in the way only a local can.
The flavour of the place
The spirit, the table, where you sleep, and a clay cup of cantarito.
The spirit
Tequila made the slow way from 100% Blue Weber agave, roasted, crushed under a stone tahona, fermented in open wood and distilled in copper. Alongside it, raicilla and mezcal from wild agaves, and highland producers who chase terroir the way a winemaker does. Even the town's own Mexican wine gets a place at the farewell table.
The table
The food of Jalisco, honest and slow: birria, the chilli-rich stewed meat; tortas ahogadas, a pork roll drowned in tomato and chilli; carne en su jugo. A field breakfast on the comal among the agave, and cajeta, the goat's-milk caramel, off the spoon.
The stay
You sleep in a 17th-century agave hacienda, stone buildings, a chapel, gardens, a spa and the blue agave fields around you, with a boutique hotel in Tequila town and a design hotel in Guadalajara to bracket the trip. Character over resorts.
The pour
The cantarito, tequila with lime and grapefruit poured over ice in a clay cup, and raicilla sipped slow in a Guadalajara tasting room that keeps the rarest agave spirits in Mexico. The way the drink is actually shared here, unhurried, at a table full of people.
Tequila, in short
One plant, one place, done deeply.
Tequila is a place before it is a drink, a town and a valley in the highlands of Jalisco near Guadalajara, where 100% Blue Weber agave is grown in volcanic red soil and distilled by law only in this region. The old-way producers, Fortaleza with its mule-drawn tahona and El Tequileno distilling since 1959, make a spirit with the depth and sense of place that factory tequila loses. Above the valley sit the circular pyramids of Guachimontones, built by a culture that treated agave as sacred long before tequila had a name.
Our Tequila field notes walk through the distilleries, the haciendas and Guadalajara on the blog.
One day, in detail
To give you the feel.
A real day from a recent Tequila trip, built from the producers and experiences we know here.
Up to the mirador at a family distillery, blue agave rolling out to the extinct Tequila volcano.
Inside, the roasted agave hearts crushed under a stone tahona pulled by a mule, then a tasting straight from the still.
A countryside breakfast cooked on a comal among the agave rows, a cold cantarito in a clay cup.
Checking into a 17th-century agave hacienda for the night, the chapel, the gardens and the spa.
A hands-on Mexican cooking class, then dinner of the dishes you made, tequila and cocktails at the table.
Full sample itinerary available as a PDF.
See the full five-day sample itinerary →Who opens their doors to us here
Friends we come back for
The old-way family distillery
still crushing its agave under a stone tahona and distilling in a copper pot, one of the most moving artisan spirit visits in Mexico.
The small-batch highland producer
who takes you out to the red volcanic fields, hands you a coa, and lets you cut a piña before you taste.
The 17th-century agave hacienda
once the heart of a working estate, now your home for 2 nights, with a spa and its own blue agave fields.
The family at the comal
who set breakfast in the middle of the agave, and the cook who opens a hands-on class and a table afterwards.
The Guadalajara tasting room
keeper of Mexico's most important archive of wild-agave mezcal and raicilla, poured by the man who built it.
The city cantina
where the mariachi plays and the birria and tortas ahogadas come out late, the Jalisco table at its most generous.
When to come
Every season here has its own light.
Spring
March to May
Dry and warm, the fields at their most golden, jacaranda in bloom in Guadalajara.
Summer
June to September
The rains arrive, the highlands turn green, dramatic afternoon storms, and fewer visitors.
Autumn
Late October to early November
Day of the Dead, the cultural high point, marigolds, altars and candlelight across the towns.
Winter
December to February
Dry, mild and clear, the best all-round window, and when we most often run the trip.
Tequila vs Oaxaca
Which one fits you better?
Both are agave country, and both are extraordinary, so travellers often choose between them. Here is how they differ.
Tequila
Blue agave, colonial haciendas, one great spirit
The feeling
The Jalisco highlands, blue agave to the horizon and colonial haciendas, one great spirit done deeply, all of it easy from Guadalajara.
The spirit
One plant, Blue Weber agave, a protected region and the world’s most famous agave spirit, made the old way.
The landscape
Volcanic red-soil fields under the extinct Tequila volcano, 17th-century haciendas set among the rows.
The food
Birria, tortas ahogadas and carne en su jugo, honest and hearty, an hour from a great food city.
Best for
Going deep on the world’s most famous spirit with hacienda comfort beside Guadalajara.
Oaxaca
Mezcal, wild agaves, and a great food city
The feeling
A southern mountain city of markets and mezcal, dozens of wild agaves and small rustic palenques, with more driving to reach them.
The spirit
Mezcal from many agave species, smokier and wilder, distilled in tiny palenques.
The landscape
High dry mountains and terraced palenques, a colonial city of markets below.
The food
One of the great food cities on earth, the land of the moles, tlayudas and the market table.
Best for
Mezcal’s wild diversity and Mexico’s most celebrated cooking. Plenty of travellers do both with us.
Prefer mezcal and Mexico’s greatest food city? Oaxaca is the other side of Mexican agave. Want New World wine next? Napa Valley pairs naturally.
YOUR PLACE AT THE TABLE
The table is already set for you.
Tell us who is coming and what you love to drink, and we build the trip around it: the distilleries, the haciendas, the tables, the pace.
A real person replies, usually the same day.
Tequila at a glance
The shape of a trip, in short.
The shape of a trip, in short.
- Ideal trip length
- 5 to 6 days across Tequila town, the Jalisco highlands and Guadalajara.
- Seasons
- the dry season from November to May, and late October to 2 November for Day of the Dead.
- Gateway airport
- Guadalajara, with the town of Tequila about an hour away.
- Pace
- unhurried, 2 nights in Tequila, 2 at a highland hacienda, 1 to 2 in Guadalajara.
- Where you stay
- a boutique hotel in Tequila town, a 17th-century agave hacienda with a spa, and a design hotel in Guadalajara.
- Spirit focus
- 100% agave tequila the traditional way, plus raicilla, mezcal and Mexican wine, distillery visits with the makers.
- Culinary focus
- a field breakfast on the comal, a Mexican cooking class, birria and tortas ahogadas, a Guadalajara food tour.
- Culture
- the Guachimontones pyramids, the artisan town of Tlaquepaque, the murals of Guadalajara.
- Best for
- couples, groups of friends, spirits and food lovers, and anyone who thinks they already know tequila.
A few things people ask
About a trip to Tequila.
Is Tequila worth visiting?
Yes, especially for anyone who loves wine, spirits or food. The town of Tequila and the Jalisco highlands are the birthplace of the drink, where you can walk the blue agave fields, watch a distillery crush agave under a stone tahona, and taste a spirit that tastes nothing like the shot most people know. It sits about an hour from Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s great food cities.
Where is tequila made?
Tequila is made by law only in defined regions of Mexico, centred on the state of Jalisco and the town of Tequila in the highlands near Guadalajara. The blue agave grows in the volcanic red soil there, and the best producers grow, roast, ferment and distil within sight of the fields.
What is the difference between tequila and mezcal?
Both are agave spirits. Tequila is made only from Blue Weber agave, mostly in Jalisco, and is often distilled in copper pot stills. Mezcal can be made from many agave species, largely around Oaxaca, and the agave is usually roasted in earth pits, which gives it a smoky character. Tequila is one plant done deeply; mezcal is wild diversity.
Can you visit tequila distilleries near Guadalajara?
Yes. The town of Tequila is about an hour from Guadalajara, and the surrounding valley is full of distilleries, from the famous names to tiny family producers. On our trips the visits are hosted by the makers in working distilleries, with tastings straight from the still, not at a public bar.
How many days do you need in Tequila and Jalisco?
5 to 6 days. That is enough to spend 2 nights in Tequila town, 2 at a highland hacienda and 1 to 2 in Guadalajara, visiting several distilleries, doing a field-to-glass morning, a cooking class, the Guachimontones pyramids and a Guadalajara food tour without rushing.
What is the best time to visit Tequila, Mexico?
The dry season from November to May is the most reliable, mild and clear. Late October to 2 November brings Day of the Dead, the cultural high point. The summer rains from June to September turn the highlands green with dramatic afternoon storms and fewer visitors.
What is a tahona and how is traditional tequila made?
A tahona is a large stone wheel, often pulled by a mule, used to crush roasted agave hearts and release the juice. The old-way producers then ferment in open wooden vats and distil in small copper pots. It is slow and labour-intensive, and it makes a tequila with a depth and sense of place that industrial methods cannot match.
Is Tequila or Oaxaca better for a first trip?
Both are wonderful. Choose Tequila to go deep on the world’s most famous agave spirit, with colonial haciendas and the comfort of a great city an hour away. Choose Oaxaca for the wild diversity of mezcal and some of Mexico’s most celebrated food. Many travellers do both with us.
What food is Jalisco known for?
Jalisco is the home of birria, a rich stewed meat; tortas ahogadas, a pork roll drowned in tomato and chilli sauce; and carne en su jugo. Guadalajara is one of Mexico’s great culinary cities, and the countryside table runs to breakfasts cooked on the comal and cajeta, the slow-cooked goat’s-milk caramel.
What is raicilla?
Raicilla is a traditional agave spirit from Jalisco, long made in the mountains and only recently recognised beyond them. It sits alongside tequila and mezcal as part of Mexico’s agave family, and a good Guadalajara tasting room will pour rare examples next to wild-agave mezcal.
Can you stay in a tequila hacienda?
Yes. Several 17th-century agave haciendas in the Jalisco highlands, once the centre of working estates, are now boutique hotels with spas, chapels and gardens set among the blue agave. On our trips a hacienda stay is the heart of the accommodation, not an add-on.
Are tequila tours private, and do you meet the distillers?
Yes. We run Tequila as a private, tailor-made trip and as a small group, and the distillery visits are hosted by the families and makers themselves in working distilleries, with tastings from the still. Everything is arranged end to end, with a personal guide and a dedicated driver.
Designed by Vinspiration
Built by the two of us.
Every Tequila trip is built by hand by the two of us, from the relationships that open the distillery and hacienda doors to the pace of each day.
Luis Arriola
our tapatio on the groundLuis is our man on the ground in Guadalajara and Tequila, a Tapatío to the core who knows every alley in the city and every stone on the road out to the agave towns. He spent years in the international wine world, but his heart has always been in the agave spirits. He takes you into the place the way only a real local can feel it, from the inside..
Mor Koral
Co-founderMor shapes each trip around the people travelling, so the days feel like being handed a seat at the family table. She keeps the pace human and the details right, from the distilleries and the field breakfasts to where you rest at the end of the day.