Jose Cuervo creates ‘world’s first’ mole-finished Tequila
Small-batch brand Reserva de la Familia, from Jose Cuervo, has finished an añejo Tequila in mole-seasoned barrels.
The Private Cask Collection Edition No. 2: Mole Cask unites two of Mexico’s most celebrated Unesco-recognised traditions.
Reserva de la Familia explained that mole, which dates to 17th-century Puebla and Oaxaca, layers 20-40 Indigenous and Spanish colonial ingredients – including cacao, chillies, spices and nuts – into distinctive recipes that vary by region and family.
The mole cask Tequila is distilled in small batches at La Rojeña, the ‘world’s oldest’ Tequila distillery.
Each piña is hand-trimmed with the jicama cut, leaving only the sweet central core. The agave is then slow-roasted in masonry brick ovens built in 1812 before being fermented with proprietary yeast and distilled twice.
The Tequila is aged in new American and French oak barrels, before a three-month finishing in medium-toasted new American oak casks that have been seasoned with Oaxacan red mole.
The resulting expression has notes of ‘cacao, spice, dried fruit and pepper’ and is bottled at 40%.
Reserva de la Familia Private Cask Collection Edition No. 2: Mole Cask is available for presale and will be stocked at select US retailers from September. The expression is priced at US$120 for a 750ml bottle.
“Every barrel tells a story, but this one tells the story of Mexico,” said Alejandro Coronado, maestro Tequilero for Reserva de la Familia. “Mole is one of our country’s greatest culinary traditions, built layer by layer over generations, much like Tequila itself.
“Our challenge wasn’t simply introducing mole into the barrel. It was finding the point where its notes of cacao, dried chilli and spice would complement, not overpower, the natural elements imparted from the agave like fresh pepper and melon. The result is a Tequila unlike anything we’ve produced before.”
The launch also continues the ultra-premium Tequila brand’s collaboration with the Michelin Guide US. The first instalment of a seven-part video series features chef Jorge León and his mother, Elvia, of Alfonsina in Oaxaca, who prepare their acclaimed mole on screen.
The Tequila also featured in Tales of the Cocktail’s Passport Dinner Series, paired with a collaborative menu from three restaurants: Emeril’s in New Orleans, Mexico City’s Pujol, and San Francisco’s Californios.
The team from Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy created cocktails for the event.
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