Volcán De Mi Tierra’s CEO Santiago Cortina Gallardo on what makes a good tequila
Read on to find out more about the LVMH-owned tequila brand.
You don’t have to be an avid drinker to know that the tequila boom is real. As one of the fastest-growing spirits globally (in America, specifically, experts predict it will soon eclipse vodka as the most popular spirit), tequila is no longer just a party drink, and this Moët Hennessy-owned brand is proof. Enter Volcán De Mi Tierra, a premium tequila brand that has been making huge waves in the industry for its distinct savoir-faire.
To know more about the brand, we spoke to its CEO, Santiago Cortina Gallardo — a member of the founding Gallardo family — on all things Volcán, including its new Volcán X.A that aims to reinvent the art of tequila-aging.
Tell us more about the Volcán De Mi Tierra brand.
Tequila is a category that’s been on fire for many years, so, naturally, the big question is: why doesn’t Moët Hennessy have a tequila brand? That’s where we came in. The Gallardo family has been living around the Tequila Volcano since 1774; we run different businesses in Mexico including a sugar mill, and we decided to explore the venture jointly with the mission to produce uncompromisingly crafted luxury tequila.
We select the very best agave from the lowlands and the highlands, and when it comes to processes, we stick to the traditions while incorporating innovative processes at different stages. We have our Blanco, a herbal and citrus-forward tequila that’s a blend of the agave from the lowlands and the highlands, that has won a blind taste test by Tequila Matchmaker; our Añejo Cristalino, an extra aged tequila that’s made with lowlands agave and is charcoal filtered to strip the colour; our Reposado that’s aged in a blend of American and European oak and is made from highlands agave; and last but not least, our Extra Añejo that’s aged up to three years in American Oak.
In an industry where around 80 per cent of the tequilas use additives, it’s important to note that our tequilas are additive-free.
Can you describe the different taste profiles of the lowlands and highlands agave?
The lowlands agave brings forward more spices, minerals and flavours, and it’s less astringent — those are its main characteristics. The highlands agave is more fruity, floral, and a bit more astringent. I won’t be able to pick a favourite as I think they complement themselves very well.
Take us through the steps of producing the Volcán X.A tequila.
For the X.A, we wanted to use the lowlands agave to pay some homage to where we stand, which is at the foot of a volcano called Tequila, so we experimented with different casks. This was in 2019 — we had all sorts of casks at the distillery and we found a specialty casks that were used in wine and never in tequila called Grace Casks. We let it age, and at some point, when I tried it, I found a profile that I had never tasted before. It was very easy to drink. Our product development team, who have both been with us for more than 50 years, came up with the idea of adding some layers of complexity by including the añejo, which is a blend of American European oak with highlands agave. So, in a nutshell, that was the experimentation that took us to X.A.
Describe the Volcán X.A in three words.
Blend of ages and additive-free. Sorry, it’s more than three words [laughs].
What do you think makes the Volcán X.A a standout?
In the luxury segment, we are the only tequila with no additives incorporating three levels of aging with Grace Casks.
The Volcán X.A is definitely one of the most distinctive bottles in the market. Tell us more about the design.
We work with a Mexican specialised glass manufacturer that is able to do semi-automatic processes. Because of the complexity around the neck and the resistance the neck has to have, each bottle that comes out of the glass has to be grabbed and put in a special oven to achieve a certain temperature to form the neck. Once we have the transparent glass, we manually place these organic decorations on the side. It’s a very complex process.
There’s been a surge in celebrity-owned tequila brands lately. What are your thoughts on that?
There's a new celebrity-owned tequila every other week in the U.S, and I think it's both good and bad. A lot more people are trying tequila and it generates a lot of awareness around the category. That said, most of these tequilas are outsourced and the endorsement around the celebrity is the main winning factor. We think there needs to be a balance. Tequila should not taste like caramel — it should taste like tequila.
How do you like to drink your tequila?
For X.A, I like it neat or on the rocks with a garnish of orange — it tastes absolutely amazing. In Mexico, people drink tequila and a beer as a chaser. You should try that [laughs].
What would you say to someone who’s unfamiliar with the spirit to get them excited about Volcán X.A or the brand as a whole?
The craftsmanship behind Volcán is truly what makes us unique. I remember in the beginning, I always said that this is the Dom Pérignon of tequila. That association will immediately take you to heritage and to craftsmanship. That, I think, is the easiest way to get people to understand what they're drinking.
