At Home With Patrón, Where Replication Rears a Singular Tequila
The leading tequila brand's hacienda doubles as an invitation-only event space, hotel, and cocktail incubator.
In Jalisco, Mexico, where the sun-drenched hills are densely planted with the world’s finest agave, Hacienda Patrón stands out as an oasis in the desert. Located in the remote municipality of Atotonilco el Alto, the home of Patrón Tequila was chosen because of the area’s natural aquifer, which provides water with the ideal mineral balance for tequila production, as well as its proximity to the brand’s original production facilities. It is this same water and history that runs through the hacienda that Patrón distils into its globally revered tequilas, helping them stand out from the pack in the fast-growing and increasingly saturated tequila market.
As tequila gained traction through the middle of the 20th century, the global market was dominated by cheap, additive-laden “mixto” tequilas made for shooting back quickly and prodigiously. “Super-premium tequila” had hardly entered the vernacular when Patrón came onto the scene in 1989, but it took almost no time for the brand to skyrocket to success, and by the turn of the century, it had outgrown its first home. So in 2002, the world’s favourite super-premium tequila moved into a new one, Hacienda Patrón—a distillery that doubles as an invitation-only event space, hotel, and cocktail incubator that every bartender and imbiber worth their salt dreams of visiting.
The attraction of Hacienda Patrón lies in the traditions, modern and ancient, that it keeps. Unlike most large tequila brands, Patrón crushes roasted agave with both modern roller mills and traditional tahona stones, and it estimates that it is home to 18 of the 30 in use today. Even though the brand, which was purchased by Bacardi in 2018, produces over three million cases of tequila per year, it still does an astonishing amount in the traditional manner, by hand and with local expertise, following the maxim “Replication, not automation.” Indeed, the distillery may be the proverbial beating heart of Hacienda Patrón, but thanks to the nearly mimetic replication of systems, its rhythm is calm, more of a low hum than a rolling thump.
Over the years, Patrón has replicated its original production chain 10 times over. It’s almost ironic—because like the tequila to which it is home, Hacienda Patrón is as singular a place as they come. One that’s well worth visiting. If you can score an invite.
