2nd Best Tour: The Tequila Express

Mariachi music and Tequila are a potent combination. This combination is experienced first hand when you ride on the Tequila Express. If you ever wanted to get the feel for Mexican customs and culture all in one trip, then this is the tour for you. The Tequila Express is an all day tour that begins at the train station in Guadalajara. Once aboard, the decadence begins. As the train begins the one-and-a-half hour journey to the city of Amatitan, home to the famous Herradura Tequila distillery, Mariachis greet you with their trumpets and violins, severs dispense appetizers and of course, all the beer/tequila you desire.

The train ride itself is very charming, as it departs the busy, thriving city, the scene from the cabs changes from city dwellings to corn fields to the vast blue agave farms. The train ride ends at Amatitan and your tour of the Herradura Distillery begins. Like other tours, all the production stages of Tequila are discussed and displayed. After the tour, folkorico dancers, ropers and even more Mariachis entertain you for hours. The Mexican buffet was awesome. The authentic food was to die for. I forgot my batteries for my new video recorder at the hotel, but I did find this video on You Tube that pretty much highlights the tour. Press here to check out this video

The Best Distillery Tour: La Altenia Distillery

I grimaced in displeasure when I first drove to the Altenia Distillery, makers of Tapatio and El Tesoro De San Felipe brand tequilas. The building looked somewhat drab and unassuming. It's bare brick exterior walls gave it an appalling look. This tour was not on my schedule but when I overheard two patrons at a local restaurant mention the upcoming 70th year anniversary of this distillery, I went out my way to stop by and visit. Approaching the building, I noticed only one car parked in the front, dirt parking lot. To my surprise, a middle-aged man came out to greet me. He said the distillery was closed. I offered to bribe him with a reward of $25 American Dollars if he would permit me to walk around and take a few pictures. To my delight, he not only declined my "mordida" but he volunteered to guide me around the distillery. Fernando was not a tour guide per say, he was more of a Jimador foreman but he did know a thing or two about the distillation process of Tequila. While the outside walls of the distillery initially made me second guess why I made the extra effort to tour this place, by the time I walked back to my rental car, I told myself of the dozen or so distilleries I visited/toured, this was my best experience by far.

Located a short distance from the outskirts of Arrandas, you have to travel by dirt road to get to the distillery. Unlike all the other distilleries I visited, where modern technology has made the traditional way of making Tequila a thing of the past, the tequila production here is as close as you can get to taking a step back in time, decades before when handcrafted products were the norm, not the exception.

The charm of this distillery can be described with one word - tradition. Everything around here is a moment frozen in time. The water boiler dates back to the 50's and is used to make every single batch of Tequila. Unlike other distilleries that use either stainless steel or copper tanks to ferment the agave, La Altenia uses wooden barrels. Many can attest, wood containers give the tequila a more robust, genuine flavor. The distillery takes pride in itself by boasting it produces the last handcrafted tequila on Earth. There is only one way to challenge this boast - a sample of Tequila, por favor. All in the name of research and good will, I took a shot of El Tesoro and let me just say, "muy, muy bueno"!
I kid you not, taking a shot with a bull's horn, pictured above, makes the tequila taste better. For more information on the Altenia Distillery visit http://www.eltesorotequila.com

Paradiso, Tesoro, and Tapatio Tequila is produced at the Altenia Distillery.

Writers disclaimer: This distillery is not a sophisticated operation. Tours are provided by request only. Obviously, this distillery is family owned and operated. Tequila drinkers can appreciate the handcrafted flavor that epitomizes the Altenia brand Tequilas.