SB meets… Grace Gonzalez, El Mayor Tequila
The first woman in her family to hold the title of master distiller, Grace Gonzalez also represents the fourth generation of El Mayor Tequila as an ambassador. Here, she tells us about the importance of supportive male figures to uplift women, and how drinkers are experimenting with Tequila worldwide.
Did you always know you wanted to work in the Tequila industry?
I don’t think I ever had any questions about what I wanted to do. From a very young age, I started going to the agave fields and to the distillery with my father. I was very curious about different aromas, different flavour profiles, textures – everything to do with the senses. I think it was during our first trip together to Spain, and we were at a warehouse at a winery, and I was so shocked by all the aromas – good ones and bad ones. In that moment, I knew I wanted to do something within the industry.
You travel a lot. How are people enjoying Tequila around the world?
Lately, I’ve seen a lot more people interested in pairing dinners with Tequila. One thing I love is people are stepping away from pairing Tequila with only Mexican food. Mexican food, sometimes, tends to be a little bit spicier. One cuisine I’ve seen in pairings more and more is Japanese food; Tequila is absolutely amazing with Japanese food. With American food, too, it goes really well, especially with food from Texas. If you pair reposados and añejos with the barbecue and smokiness of food, it’s fabulous.
How are cask finishes helping to create new flavour options in Tequila?
It was very important to us to add some innovation within our regular portfolio. I, along with my brother, create the limited edition Tequilas for El Mayor. The first innovation we had was with Chardonnay casks, then we did Sherry, and we’ve grown to also include a Port finish and a Cabernet Sauvignon finish. The base is always our blanco, and then we build flavours based on that using different casks.
Consumers are very open to trying new flavours. For a Bourbon drinker getting into Tequila, I usually tell them to start with the extra añejo or añejo. Or, let’s say you have a consumer who drinks rum, our rum-finished Tequila is an easy door for them to go through – but they still get the flavour of Tequila. You’re still going to find the earthiness, the saltiness and minerality that you’re expecting from a spirit like Tequila with a complex finish.
Where do you find inspiration for new product development?
Whenever I travel, I take chances. I have a very adventurous palate. Food-wise, spirits-wise, I have a rule that you can’t say you don’t like it unless you try it. I was in Portugal, and totally fell in love with Port. But for our rum-cask finish, it was nothing romantic. My brother and I love Pirates of the Caribbean, and we were watching one of the movies, and were like: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do something with rum?’ It’s always something that ties us together as a family, and ultimately we want to have fun with our products and to encourage others to enjoy them.
What are your goals, both for El Mayor and personally, for 2025?
This year is full of opportunities to search for new markets, to be more open and to share our story and the story of Tequila with even more people and markets. There are still so many people who don’t know or understand Tequila, so that’s an important goal for us, to take that message further.
And for me, it’s going to sound cliché, but coming from a country like Mexico where sometimes, as women we don’t have the same opportunities as men; I’m really proud about what I’m doing and working hard to achieve in an industry that is male-dominated. A man was the person who believed in me; he was my father. He was the one who told me: “You can do this.” What I want to do is continue showing women and girls that if they decide to do something, they can do it. I’m so glad my father believed in me to be this spokesperson, that my brother supported me being given this opportunity. That’s why it’s important to me to continue this legacy, to be out there and be the spokesperson for more women and girls to succeed.
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