Tequila Herradura
Tequila Herradura
Tequilas
If you are serious about your tequila,
then it will be your good fortune to
taste these delicious, 100% agave
tequilas that are the result of hard
work, craftsmanship, and a certain
portion of luck-you might even call it
magic.
The family saga of Casa Herradura
begins with Félix López, who took full
possession of the Hacienda in 1870,
and officially registered it as a tequila-
producing hacienda. Félix
rechristened the property Hacienda
San José del Refugio-a name that
was destined for greatness.
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Félix and Carmen
At the age of 45, Félix López married
eighteen year-old Carmen Rosales.
They had two children-Aurelio, and
Maria de Jesús (Jesusita.) Together,
Carmen and Félix brought the modern
production of tequila to the Hacienda,
building a factory that was in use until
1963.
When Félix López died in 1878, he left
the future of the Hacienda in the
hands of his young wife. Carmen
wisely sought the help of her brother
Ambrosio Rosales and his wife, Elisa
Gomez Cuervo de Rosales. Ambrosio
ran the estate with great success for
many years, and taught the business
to Carmen's son, Aurelio.
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Aurelio
Aurelio eventually took control of
Hacienda San José del Refugio and
dedicated himself to the production of
its renowned tequila, giving it the
name of Herradura. His fate was tied
to the Cristero Rebellion (La
Cristiada), a bloody battle between
the Catholic Church and the State
(1926-1929). Seeking to limit the
enormous powers of the Catholic
Church, the Federal government
began harassing priests, outlawed the
practice of the religion, and even
banned the display of crosses. The
trees and posts were strung with the
bodies of offenders-a reminder to
passersby. It wasn't long before
priests were being hunted down and
killed. Those who stood up against the
government were called Cristeros.
A fervent supporter of the Church,
Aurelio worked tirelessly on behalf of
the Cristeros. He put out a call to the
workers of the Hacienda to join the
fight, provided financing, and gave
shelter to priests and devotees at the
Hacienda, helping to spirit them away
through the tunnels that weave their
way beneath the Hacienda and all of
Amatitán. For his bravery and
courageous hospitality he was called
El Cristero.
In 1927, the government began raids
on the homes of Cristero
sympathizers, and Aurelio was
warned that his life was in danger.
They say he was able to escape by
tricking the advancing Federal
soldiers. The Hacienda had a large
store of wooden balls which were
designed to crush agave. They were of
little use for that, but by placing them
around the perimeter walls of the
hacienda, and outfitting them with
hats and sticks, the advancing
soldiers believed that the Hacienda
was a well-fortified fortress and
turned back. Aurelio and his sister
made their escape.
How Aurelio and Jesusita escaped, no
one exactly knows, but many believe
they fled through the tunnels out into
the surrounding countryside. Aurelio
spent three years in exile at the
Vatican before he came back to
México. He never returned to the
Hacienda.
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Don David
When Aurelio fled the country, he left
the Hacienda in the hands of his
cousin, David Rosales, son of
Ambrosio. At a time when mixto
tequila (tequila made with the
addition of sugar) was becoming a
method of cutting expenses, Don
David insisted that Herradura remain
100% agave tequila. In November of
1928, the brand of Tequila Herradura
was officially registered with the
government in Mexico City -with the
horseshoe as the logo.
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Maria de Jesús López Rosales
Señorita Jesusita, sister to Aurelio,
returned to the hacienda after the
Cristiada. She remained there the rest
of her life, where she was known as
Chuy. She never married, and poured
her heart and soul into the town of
Amatitán. Her generous works
included the grade schools, a school
for girls, the town hall, the jail, the
cross on El Cerro (The Hill) de
Amatitán, and a complete renovation
of La Purísma Concepcíon Church,
built in 1767.
Her greatest gift to Amatitán, like
Padre Romo so many years before,
was water. In 1958, Jesusita paid for
the construction of 5 wells in the
town-a gift more precious than gold.
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Esther and Ernesto
The property passed into the hands of
David's sister Esther de la Peña
Rosales. Busy raising her three
daughters, she gave management of
the Hacienda to her favorite brother,
the flamboyant Ernesto.
Esther claimed that if Ernesto was
happy, she was happy, and gave him
free reign. And he took it! Ernesto was
famous for matching his car to his
outfits, and having custom-made
buttons made of gemstones that
complemented the colors of his
clothes. Soon enough, the Hacienda
was in financial difficulty. Eventually,
the family came to the rescue, and the
Hacienda was once again in the hands
of three sisters.
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Three Sisters and Carlos Ugarte
The three de la Peña sisters held the
majority shares of Hacienda San José
del Refugio. But only one, Gabriela
would end up working there, and she
eventually bought out the shares of
the other two. Gabriela hired her
nephew Carlos Ugarte, to manage the
estate, and he became a legend.
Carlos Ugarte was known for his hard
work, gregarious nature, and love of
tequila. He embraced the workers at
the Hacienda, gave grand parties, and
socialized in the town. He oversaw the
renovation of the casitas (workers
housing), and was seen as a hero of
the workers. He died young, and a
ballad was composed in his honor. He
is remembered with great fondness to
this day.
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Gabriela Romo de la Peña
If Hacienda San José del Refugio ever
had a Queen, it would have been
Gabriela Romo de la Peña. They say
that she was a stunning beauty, and
worked harder than anyone else on
the Hacienda. She would be there to
greet the workers at breakfast, look at
accounts over lunch, then head into
Guadalajara to make sales in the
afternoon. It was under Doña
Gabriela's supervision that a modern
distillery was built, keeping the Old
Factory as a museum. She introduced
Herradura Añejo Tequila in 1962, and
introduced the world to Reposado
tequila in 1974.
Doña Gabriela continued the long
legacy of generosity and hospitality at
the Hacienda, and her passing was
seen as a civic tragedy.
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The Legacy Continues
Doña Gabriela's sons Guillermo and
Pablo Romo de la Peña ushered in an
era of expansion for Casa Herradura.
They launched el Jimador in 1994,
which became México's #1 selling
tequila (based on sales from NIELSON
& ISCAM, as of March 2009). New Mix
was added to the line in 1997, and
became Mexico's #1 selling ready-to-
drink tequila beverage (based on
IWSR).
The families of Gabriela's four children
are still very much a part of Hacienda
San José del Refugio today, where
they maintain the Casa Grande and
the Romo family library. The Hacienda
continues to be a place full of life and
productivity, frequently used for
Romo family gatherings and as a
weekend retreat. And the tequila
made there is still the finest in the
world. In 2007, Brown-Forman
purchased Casa Herradura, including
the distillery and agave fields.
Blue Agave
The agave is a plant that holds both pain and pleasure. This
succulent requires great patience, taking seven to ten years to
mature. When it is grown, it is a monster. The spiky leaves can
spread 2 meters, or 7 feet, in every direction, with its central core, or
piña, sometimes weighing up to 120 kilos, or 264 pounds.
Rattlesnakes, scorpions and tarantulas find refuge among the agave.
In the wild, the plant is propagated not by birds or bees but by the
Mexican long-nosed bat. The pencas, or sharp spines of the agave
are poisonous and terribly painful if they pierce the skin. The raw juice
on bare skin itches like poison ivy.
The agave is a source of healing and nourishment as well. The agave
limbs can be cut and stewed for a nourishing soup. Folk healers use
all parts of the agave in their elixirs and salves.
In 1902 Weber blue agave tequilana was given scientific classification,
and cited as the agave of choice for tequila production.
The blue Weber agave at Casa Herradura has been propagated over
the decades from the original agave plants that were growing here in
1870. Herradura keeps 25 million blue Weber agaves at every stage
of maturity to guarantee production for years to come.
