Product dive: Take a look at Patrón El Alto
This prestige tequila from Patrón is distilled exclusively from agaves grown in Los Altos.
Welcome to the Boothby Product Dive, an in-depth look at one brand of note. Whilst Patrón does sponsor this story, the editorial is Boothby’s own.
Tequila is having a moment. Whether it is in our bars, restaurants, or entertaining at home, it seems that the world is after ever more unique expressions of what this great agave spirit can offer. Enter the newest, super prestige tequila expression to land in Australia: Patrón El Alto. Made exclusively from agaves grown in Los Altos, it offers the sweet agave fruit character that the region can offer, with some smart barrel influence drawn from some of Patrón’s finest matured spirit.
Let’s get into Patrón El Alto.
What makes Patrón El Alto different?
Patrón El Alto is labelled as a reposado, which by law requires that the spirit be aged for a minimum of 60 days. But this particular bottling is a blend of selected reposado, añejo, and extra añejo tequilas at Patrón, with the majority being extra añejo and aged for over four years. The agaves that produce the tequila that is blended into Patrón El Alto are drawn exclusively from the highest areas of Atotonilco El Alto, in the Los Altos — or Highlands — region of Jalisco, Mexico.
Patrón El Alto is of a kind with Patrón El Cielo, two super-premium lines in the distillery’s production. It’s worth noting, too, that NOM 1492 — the one on the front label of El Alto — is the home of the Patrón distillery, Hacienda Patrón, and that only one brand of tequila is produced there: Patrón, of course.
Atotonilco El Alto is a two hour drive west of Guadalajara and nearly three hours from Tequila town in the valley, with an average elevation around 1600 metres (5250 feet) above sea level.
60 — the number of hands involved in crafting each bottle of Patrón;
1989 — the year Patrón is born, created by Jean Paul DeJoria and Martin Crowley and tequilero Francisco Alvarez;
79 — the number of hours during which the agave is roasted in small brick ovens;
3 — the number of ingredients to be found in Patrón: agave, water, yeast — Patrón has zero additives.
How is Patrón El Alto made?
Like all Patrón tequilas, Patrón El Alto begins with the agaves in the fields of Los Altos, the Jalisco highlands — but for El Alto, those agaves are specifically from the area around Atotonilco El Alto. Patrón only uses agaves grown in Los Altos — this makes for a sweeter type of agave, thanks to the climate and the terroir.
The highest areas in Atotonilco El Alto get to around 2000 metres above sea level. Atotonilco is one of three towns that forms the Golden Triangle of agave production in the Los Altos, the others being Arandas and Jesus Maria. The soil in Los Altos is a poorer soil — characterised by red clay — compared with the richer, volcanic soil of the Tequila Valley.
Once harvested, the piñas are brought to the distillery and chopped by hand before cooking begins, in small brick ovens. Once the piñas are cooked — a process required to convert the starches of the agave into sugars, ready for fermenting — they are then crushed, by one of two methods employed by Patrón: the first, with the use of one of many two tonne tahonas made from volcanic stone; the second method is through the use of a roller mill, in which the agave is run through a series of rollers to crush the agave to extract the sugars and fibres.
This aguamiel and the agave fibres — or the bagasse — is then fermented for three days, in small pine wood fermenters before distillation.
Distillation takes place in two parts: the tahona wheel agave is twice distilled in small copper pot stills, whilst the roller mill agaves are twice distilled in larger pot stills. Both distillates are distilled to 55 percent ABV.
Once distilled — and if the spirit is destined for their aged bottlings — it is then matured in a mix of 11 different barrels, predominantly American and French oak barrels.
Patrón El Alto tasting notes
What they say: there are sweet aromatic notes of agave, dried fruit, and toasted wood characteristics. On the palate, bright flavours emerge of apricots, vanilla, almonds and cooked agave. Patrón suggests El Alto be drunk neat, sipped on in nice glassware, or served on the rocks over one nice, big, crystal clear chunk of ice.
What we say: almost the colour of chardonnay with gold highlights; there’s aromas of stone fruit, agave, caramel, and croissant; the palate is medium bodied with apricots, sweet agave fruit characters, and oak spice opening up to a warm, expressive finish, pastry, candied orange. The finish is long with a lingering and fine oak spice note. It really does ask to be drunk on its own, but we do think it’ll make an elegant if delicate Old Fashioned riff.