In addition to their ideal terroir, the estate is also home to a well that draws fresh, mineral-rich water from 400 meters below the surface. This water is used throughout the production process, resulting in added complexity and minerality in the spirit. 

Recognizing how special the land that surrounds their family estate is, the Padilla family pays respect to these gifts by producing tequila that honors the land and accentuates the agave’s natural qualities. It is their careful craft and the specific location that allows them to produce a tequila that needs no additives or adulteration to achieve a flavor many tequilas achieve only through unnatural means. 

While the Padilla family stays true to the ethos of mezcal de tequila, many producers in the region have cut corners: harvesting a little too soon, using stale water piped in from somewhere else, using pressure cookers or chemicals to turn the agave starches to sugars, and then adding glycerine, flavorings, and coloring to make a spirit that regulations still permit to be labeled 100% agave. 

Due to the massive global popularity of tequila, there is little incentive for producers or regulators to change rules that allow additives in ‘100% agave’ tequila, however, there are a small number of producers, including the Padilla family, who believe in the beauty of the agave’s natural flavors, and have committed to producing only additive-free spirits, made in the spirit of mezcal.  

Madre has always sought to release products crafted with intention, using nature’s most intrinsic elements, and reflecting the essence of nature in its purest forms. This is true for each expression of Madre Mezcal and continues with Madre Tequila.

PURCHASE MADRE TEQUILA HERE.

The word ‘mezcal’ is from the Nahuatl language, meaning ‘cooked agave’.  For centuries, and until relatively recently, any distilled spirit from any agave plant was simply mezcal. While there are now different names for different types of agave distillates, when made with respect to tradition, there is still a shared connection to the land. 

Today, to be called ‘mezcal’, a product must be certified by a government agency, COMERCOM. To be called ‘tequila’, it must be certified by another agency, CTR.  While sets of regulations and guidelines are what now determine what is printed on a label, behind the bureaucracy there are still families in different parts of Mexico, who simply harvest agaves, cook them, and then distill them into a naturally sweet spirit, whether it be called mezcal or tequila. 

By introducing Madre Tequila, we want to highlight these similarities and help more people understand how tequila can be just as beautiful as mezcal when produced with respect to the land.

Some may point out that the main differences between mezcal and tequila is where in Mexico it is produced and that mezcal is typically roasted in an earthen oven, which gives it a smokey flavor. These are both true, however, the story runs much deeper and starts at a time when Spanish colonizers prohibited agave spirits to prevent the indigenous populations from performing traditional rituals and ceremonies. 

In 1795, a man named Jose Cuervo was granted a permit by the Spanish King to produce mezcal at his distillery in a town called Tequila. For nearly a century, this spirit would be called ‘mezcal de tequila,’ as it grew in popularity and generated an export market to Spain. 

Detached from the indigenous traditions, tequila production became more mechanized and industrialized as producers looked for ways to increase output while reducing costs. This results in many tequilas of questionable quality.  Meanwhile, in other parts of Mexico, where families only distilled agave for use in community rituals and celebrations, the production of mezcal remained largely unchanged. 

As both tequila and mezcal have grown in popularity around the world, there is now a wide range of quality for both types of products. There is tequila made from the oldest traditions and, even, mezcal made using industrial practices.  Rules define what allows them to be called mezcal or tequila, however, to find the real quality, one must find the families making the spirit.