Any Mexican knows from childhood that the hacienda Corralejo is the birthplace of the national hero Miguel Hidalgo. Today, the old estate has been turned into an interactive museum, where not only the memory of Hidalgo is honored, but also Corralejo premium tequila is produced right before the eyes of tourists.
After the creation of the interactive museum, the fame of Corralejo tequila thundered far beyond the borders of Mexico. Today this drink is exported to more than 40 countries. Respected tequila connoisseurs such as Jen Kulik, co-owner of the famous Charleston bar Voodoo Tiki, and Kevin Grant, founder of the Zia Taqueria Mexican restaurant chain, openly admit their commitment to the Corralejo brand.
Corralejo Reposado tequila was awarded the Grand Award at a blind tasting in Mexico City in 1997. At the World Spirit Competition in San Francisco, Reposado won a double gold medal in 2006 and 2007, Añejo in 2006, and Triple Destilado won a silver medal in 2005.
Historical reference. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, the Corralejo hacienda, located in the province of Guanajuato, was owned by Don Pedro Sanchez de Tigle, who, for his indefatigable passion for experiments with the distillation of agave juice, was nicknamed the “Father of Tequila” by his neighbors. The manager of the landowner was Cristobal Hidalgo y Costilla.
In 1753, Don Cristobal’s first child, Miguel Gregorio, was born. The boy was barely nine years old when his mother died. The father had no time to especially monitor the upbringing of four children, so young Miguel had every opportunity to walk around the plantation all day long, communicate with farm laborers or follow the work of the distillery with fascination.
At the age of 12, Miguel was sent to study at the Jesuit College of St. Nicholas in Valladolid, where he excelled in the sciences so much that at the age of 16 he taught himself. Subsequently, Hidalgo took the rank, at one time he was the rector of the same college, then he served as a priest in the city of Dolores.
A talented person is talented in everything. Padre Miguel was interested in literature, music, did not shy away from crafts, and at his leisure improved the technology of distillation of fermented agave juice. His experiments were very successful, and the tequila, which was made according to his recipes in Corralejo, was considered the best in the area.
In September 1810, Hidalgo raised a peasant uprising against the Spaniards. After 8 months, he was captured and executed. Only in 1821 did Mexico succeed in throwing off the Spanish yoke. From that time to the present day, the Mexicans call Miguel Hidalgo “Father of the Fatherland.”
In the 90s of the XX century, the entrepreneur Leonardo Rodriguez Moreno became interested in the Corralejo distillery, which was in disrepair. In 1994, he proposed to the government a project to create an interactive museum-distillery, where they would produce exactly the same tequila as during the life of Miguel Hidalgo. Subsequently, in one of his interviews, Senor Rodriguez, CEO and owner of Tequila Corralejo, said: “Making tequila in Mexico is a big responsibility, because you have to create a drink that would add respect to our country.”
In 1996, Don Leonardo registered a new brand of tequila – Corralejo, all varieties of which are made from 100% agave juice, without the admixture of other alcohols. All operations at the Corralejo distillery are carried out by hand. Ripe piñas are languishing for a day and a half in restored adobe ovens. Of particular curiosity among tourists is a real old Spanish alambik – a copper distillation cube, thanks to which Corralejo tequila acquires a unique taste and aroma. The drink is poured into handmade and numbered bottles. A company store is open at the distillery, and there is a hotel and a restaurant on the territory of the hacienda.
Types of tequila Corralejo
There are currently five varieties of Corralejo tequila available:
- Corralejo Blanco is a colorless young tequila, which Señor Rodriguez calls “True” for its rich blue agave aroma with a light mint-floral tint. On the palate, the sweetness of agave is complemented by a touch of lemon peel, turning into a slightly tart aftertaste;
- Corralejo Reposado is a straw-golden tequila, which is aged for 4 months in three types of barrels: American, French and Mexican white oak. The drink has a woody aroma with hints of cinnamon, vanilla and honey. Taste – lemon-mint, spicy, with pepper bitterness in the aftertaste;
- Corralejo Añejo is an amber golden tequila aged for a year in American oak barrels. The smells of vanilla, coconut and chocolate are woven into the smoky-woody aroma of the drink. Taste – cognac-vanilla, with hints of caramel and cardamom. The aftertaste is long, silky;
- Corralejo Triple Destilado is a light straw-colored tequila that is distilled three times (in copper alambika, then in a distillation column, then again in alambika). The resulting tequila is aged in oak barrels for six months. It acquires a pleasant woody-spicy aroma. The taste is dominated by citrus tones with a hint of baked pear, pepper and vanilla;
- Gran Corralejo Añejo is a two-year-old dark amber tequila with a rich woody cognac aroma. On the palate, the sweetness of vanilla is balanced by an exquisite cinnamon bitterness. The aftertaste is somewhat dry, with citrus-coconut undertones.
