Spirits · Arandas, Jalisco
Tequila Ocho
Single-estate tequila that shows how much place matters in agave.
- Founded
- 2008
- Founded by
- Carlos Camarena, Tomas Estes
- Based in
- Arandas, Jalisco
Making it since
2008
Their story
Tequila Ocho was born from a friendship between Carlos Camarena, a fifth-generation agave farmer from the highlands of Jalisco, and Tomas Estes, a former teacher and restaurateur who became Mexico's tequila ambassador to Europe. They launched the brand in 2008 with a simple idea: tequila, like wine, can taste of the field it came from.
Each release comes from a single Camarena family rancho, and the label names the field, the vintage year, and the elevation. Tomas Estes passed away in 2021, and his son Jesse Estes now carries the work forward.
Ocho was first made at the family's La Alteña distillery and moved in 2023 to Tequilera Los Alambiques near Arandas. Kentucky's Heaven Hill Brands became the owner in 2022 when it bought Samson & Surrey.
How it's made
Agave from one estate is slow-roasted in brick ovens for about 48 hours, then fermented with wild airborne yeast for roughly 100 hours. The spirit is double distilled in pot stills at low temperatures, which keeps the flavor of each field intact.
Why we carry them
We love pouring two vintages of Ocho side by side, because the differences between fields are easy to taste. It is one of the best ways we know to understand agave terroir.
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