Type Tequila Alcohol by volume 40% | Introduced 1998 Proof (US) 80 | |
Manufacturer Distiladora San Nicolas Country of origin Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico | ||
Tequila El Espolòn is a brand of tequila from Campari America, the sixth largest spirits company in the United States. The tequila is produced by the San Nicolas Distillery in the Los Altos (Highlands) region of Jalisco, Mexico, famous for its cultivation of agave plants.
Contents
Made entirely from blue agave, El Espolòn (or simply, Espolòn) was created by Cirilo Oropeza, and was first produced in 1998. It is currently distributed in Mexico, the United States and select markets elsewhere. It is the first tequila to release variants of reposado.
Distillery
The San Nicolas Distillery is located among the agave plantations of the Jalisco Highlands. San Nicolas is designed to be an artisanal facility, built to Oropeza’s specifications. The distillation process Utilizes American oak barrels, with each agave piña (heart) cooked for 20 – 22 hours and distilled for 5½ hours .
Currently, four marques of Espolòn are Reposado (gold), Blanco (silver), Añejo (aged) and a specialized Reposado finished in bourbon barrels, dubbed El Colorado, the first of its kind.
Branding
Paying tribute to the "pelea de gallos" or fighting cocks of Spanish American tradition, Espolòn takes its name from the "spur" found on the back of the rooster’s leg. Espolòn's visual style evokes woodcut illustration created by Steven Noble. There is variation between the iconography used in the brand's domestically and internationally distributed bottles, with its international branding incorporating both the Mexican version's rooster, as well as imagery meant to be evocative of Mexican tradition and history, emulating the illustration style of José Guadalupe Posada and his imitators.
Awards
Blanco
Reposado