A Return to the Don Julio Tequila Distillery, 2026

The Don Julio distillery, La Primavera, does not offer public tours. They are a working distillery dedicated to making 100% Blue Weber agave tequila. But they do periodically open their doors to members of the press. One of our staff visited the distillery in the Highlands of Jalisco in 2018, and I recently had the chance to do so as well. It was late January, and I was happy to leave snowy Boston for sunny Mexico.

After the two-hour drive from Guadalajara to the distillery, I was surprised to see the modest size of La Primavera. Don Julio is one of the most established tequila brands in Mexico. It has been running continuously since it was founded by Julio Gonzalez Estrada in 1942, and the brand’s global output has surpassed 5 million cases per year, second only to Jose Cuervo. And yet, with virtually no space dedicated to the public, it is compact and practical, but impressive nonetheless. Shortly past the entry to the distillery, someone was chopping piñas into quarters or thirds and placing them into the masonry ovens where they cook, releasing their sugars, over the course of roughly 70 hours.

Conveyor belts bring cooked piñas to where they are crushed and boiled in water, releasing the sugars. Then, Don Julio’s distinctive yeast is introduced and fermentation begins. The yeast, I was informed, is the same one that Julio Estrada introduced and has been in use for decades.

Don Julio uses double distillation to complete its Blanco Tequila, and this is the base spirit for all of its aged tequilas. My morning tour closed with a tasting of Don Julio’s standard tequila lineup, including its blanco, reposado, añejo, and 70 (cristalino) tequilas.

For lunch, our hosts set up tables outside among the agave fields, which got me thinking about how distilled spirits are aged. When we consider how aging contributes to the flavor of whisky, bourbon, rye, or even rum, we typically think of the time a distillate rests in wood. But an essential aspect of aging for tequila is the time it takes to grow fully mature piña. Don Julio tequila uses Blue Weber agave that has been aged for roughly 7 years. Other forms of agave, those used to make mezcal, can take less time to mature (Espadin is often ready after 6 years) or much more (Tepeztate can require more than 25 years), but aging the agave is a crucial aspect of making tequila and mezcal. A fun part of my visit was planting my own piña and then cutting the spiky leaves off of a fully mature one using the traditional coa de jima, which is still used today.

A surprise at the end of my trip was an opportunity to try four special casks at the distillery. The tequilas were introduced by Eusebio Reynoso, Operations VP for Supply Chain, who is seen below standing beside a cask of Don Julio 1942 that was further aged, pushing into the extra añejo category. There was also a private barrel of the Ultima Reserva. Next came a reposado aged in a Madeira cask. Finally, I tried an extra añejo that was aged in an orange wine cask, which I found particularly nuanced and delicious. It was a perfect finish to a day spent exploring the art and craft of making Don Julio tequila.

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