Herradura Ultra Anejo Cristalino

Casa Herradura has been producing tequila in the town of Amatitán, Jalisco since 1870, making it one of Mexico's oldest and most established distilleries. The Herradura Ultra Añejo Cristalino begins as a traditional añejo, aged for 49 months in American white oak barrels.

The spirit then undergoes charcoal filtration to remove the color imparted by barrel aging while retaining much of the developed complexity. The agave used comes from the Lowlands valley region surrounding Amatitán, which tends to produce earthier, more herbaceous flavor profiles compared to highland agave.

Herradura uses a proprietary yeast strain that has been maintained for generations and ferments in open-air tanks, allowing wild yeasts to contribute additional character. Distillation occurs in traditional copper pot stills.

The cristalino style has gained significant popularity in recent years, offering the smoothness and vanilla notes of aged tequila with the visual clarity of a blanco. This particular expression balances cooked agave character with the sweetness and oak influence from nearly four years in barrel.

It works well sipped neat at room temperature or slightly chilled, and makes for a refined base in cocktails where you want aged tequila depth without the amber hue.