| Industry | Tequila |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1873 |
| Founder(s) | Don Cenobio Sauza |
| Headquarters | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Products | Sauza Conmemorativo Hornitos Tres Generaciones |
| Website | Sauza Tequila |
Sauza Tequila Import Company is a producer of tequila located in Tequila, a municipality of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It was founded in 1873 when Don Cenobio Sauza started La Perseverancia distillery. Sauza Tequila Import Company is owned by Beam Inc., headquartered in the Chicago suburb Deerfield, Illinois, USA. Their products include: Sauza, Conmemorativo, Hornitos, Tres Generaciones.
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In 1873 Don Cenobio Sauza founded Sauza at La Perseverancia distillery. He was the first distiller to call the spirit produced from blue agave plant "tequila" and the first to export the drink to the United States.[1]
His son, Don Eladio Sauza was born in Tequila in 1883. When he was old enough to continue the family tradition, he expanded the family business by opening branches in Monterrey and Mexico City and a concession in Spain.[2]
In 1931, his son, Don Francisco Javier Sauza took over the business to keep the family legacy by broadening distribution and its reputation as one of the highest-quality tequilas in the world.[3]
By the 1970s, demand for tequila was increasing worldwide. Sauza distillery formed a partnership with the leading Spanish brandy producer, Pedro Domecq. This relationship eventually led to Pedro Domecq's complete purchase of Sauza distillery in 1988. When Allied Lyons acquired Pedro Domecq in 1994, Allied Domecq was formed. The brand was purchased by Fortune Brands on July 26, 2005[4], which spun off various other product lines to form Beam Inc. in October, 2011. Sauza tequila products are still distilled at La Perseverancia (NOM: 1102).
Sauza Conmemorativo – aged 18 months in oak Bourbon casks - long enough to be called añejo [6]
Sauza's offerings have met with modest success at international spirit ratings competitions. Its best showing was for its Hacienda Reposado tequila, which won a gold rating at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2006.[7] Its extra gold tequila has not performed particularly well, winning only a bronze at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and scoring an 81 from the Beverage Testing Institute in the same year.[8]