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José Cuervo is a brand of tequila produced by Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña. The José Cuervo Especial brand has the highest sales of any tequila brand in the world.

History

In 1758, Antonio de Cuervo received a land grant from King Ferdinand VI to start an agave farm in the Jalisco region of Mexico. He built a small factory on this land. In 1795, King Carlos IV gave the land grant to Cuervo's descendant, José María Guadalupe Cuervo. Carlos IV also granted the Cuervo family the first license to commercially make tequila, so they built a larger factory on the existing land. The family started packaging their wares in individual bottles in 1880. The distillery was named Fabrica La Rojeña. The tequila was exported to the United States for the first time in 1873. In 1900, José Cuervo Labastida decided to brand the tequila as José Cuervo. The company is now owned and run by heirs of the Cuervo family, the Beckmann family. who also owns the brand 1800 Tequila, among others.

Present

Juan-Domingo “Dobel” Beckmann son of Don Juan Beckmann is the sixth-generation leader of the company. In May 2011 it was reported that Diageo Plc are in talks to buy Jose Cuervo for more the $2billion. Diageo has the first option to buy the company because of its international distribution rights to the brand

• José Cuervo Black Medallion (aged for more than one year in oak casks)
• José Cuervo Clásico
• José Cuervo Especial ("José Cuervo Gold")
• José Cuervo Especial Silver (bottle immediately after distillation, with a hint of spicy black pepper and smooth agave)
• José Cuervo flavoured tequilas: Citrico (lemon and other citrus fruits), Oranjo (orange and other citrus fruits), Tropiña (pineapple and other tropical fruits)
• José Cuervo Reserva de la Familia (aged for an average of 3 years in French and American oak barrels, with addition of material aged for more than 30 years)
• José Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Platino
• José Cuervo Tradicional (aged in oak casks)

The majority of José Cuervo tequila is a 51% mixto tequilla meaning only 51% is fermented from the sugars of the agave plant. The remainder is fermented from other cheaper sugar sources. The Tradicional and Reserva Familia are 100% Agave tequilas.

Some of these offerings have performed well at international spirit ratings competitions. For example, the Reserva de la Familia was awarded a gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Songs about the tequila

• In 1983, the country song "José Cuervo" was released as a single by Shelly West. It reached #1 on the country charts in the United States and Canada.
• A song called "Tequila Sunrise" was released by Cypress Hill on their 1998 album Cypress Hill IV; the beginning of the song mentions that the tequila being referred to is José Cuervo.
• In 2002, the country song, "Ten Rounds with José Cuervo", was released as a single by Tracy Byrd. It reached #1 on the U.S. country charts and #26 on the Hot 100, making it a minor crossover hit.

References

1. The Men Behind Your Favorite Liquors
2. Cuervo brand at Diageo.com
3. Getting beneath the Jose Cuervo story
4. "Proof66.com Website". Retrieved 5 August 2009.

External links

• José Cuervo
• BoozeBasher review of José Cuervo Especial
• BoozeBasher review of José Cuervo Black Medallion

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