Tres Generaciones

Tres Generaciones (NOM: 1102) is an award-winning super-premium tequila produced in Tequila, a municipality of the state of Jalisco, Mexico.^[1] It was created in 1973 by Don Francisco Javier Sauza to honor the three successive generations of tequila makers of the Sauza family since 1873: Don Cenobio, Don Eladio, and Don Javier Sauza.^[2] Tres Generaciones is owned by Sauza Tequila Import Company, headquartered in the Chicago suburb Deerfield, IL, USA.

History

Three generations of Sauza Dons

Don Cenobio Sauza

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.^[3]

Don Eladio Sauza

His son, Don Eladio Sauza was born in Tequila in 1883. He expanded the family business by opening branches in Monterrey and Mexico City and a concession in Spain.^[4]

Don Francisco Javier Sauza

In 1931, his son, Don Francisco Javier Sauza took over the business.^[5]

Business acquisition

By the 1970s, demand for tequila was increasing worldwide. Sauza distillery formed a partnership with the leading Mexican brandy producer, Pedro Domecq. This relationship eventually led to Pedro Domecq's complete purchase of Sauza distillery in 1988. When Allied Lyos acquired Pedro Domecq in 1994, Allied Domecq was formed. The brand was purchased by Fortune Brands on July 26, 2005.^[6]

Process

In order for a spirit to be officially called tequila, it must be produced only in the state of Jalisco and surrounding areas and be at least 51% agave. To be “100% agave azul” it must be made from 100% of the sugars fermented from the blue agave plant.^[7] All tequila bottled in Mexico must have a NOM number - the Official Mexican Standard of Tequila that is regulated by the Mexican Government; otherwise it is not authentic tequila. Tres Generaciones’ NOM number is 1102.^[8]

Harvesting the Agave

At Tequila Sauza's nursery immature plants are kept under tents in peat pots for one year until they are ready to be planted in the fields. After 6–8 years of growth the mature agave plants are ready to harvest. The agave plants are dug out of the ground and the leaves are removed one by one until the entire field is complete. The people that work the harvest are called jimadores and they use a specialized tool called the coa to remove the hard leaves from the piña. It is a labor-intensive task that has to be done with care to ensure only the ripe piñas are collected. Many of the jimadores' fathers and grandfathers did the same job.^[9] Once the piñas are cleaned of their leaves they are loaded onto trucks and sent to the distillery to begin the production of tequila.^[10] The agave fibers left after harvesting are recycled for use as compost.^[11]

Triple Distilled

Agave piñas are brought into La Perseverancia distillery from the fields. The agave is then pressed and crushed to extract the juices that will be sent to fermentation.^[12] After fermentation, the juices are distilled three times to remove impurities.

Aged

Plata is ready for bottling after distillation. The Añejo and Reposado tequilas are put in American oak barrels to age.

Variants

Tres Generaciones is available in three variants:

• Tres Generaciones Plata - 100% blue agave, triple-distilled, unaged.
• Tres Generaciones Reposado - 100% blue agave, triple-distilled, aged at least four months in American oak barrels.
• Tres Generaciones Añejo - 100% blue agave, triple-distilled, aged 12 months in toasted American oak barrels.

^[13]

References

External links

• Official Tres Generaciones website