Reserva De La Familia By Jose Cuervo Debuts Its First Ever Cristalino Tequila

Jose Cuervo has released its newest selection, another offering in a relatively recent style of tequila: Reserva de la Familia Añejo Cristalino Organico. This brand-new bottle is another addition to the sizable and growing genre of tequila known as cristalino, which is distinct from the more traditional tequila types: reposado, blanco, and añejo. 

Initially, some people were skeptical about cristalino, calling it a marketing ploy, but this release solidifies cristalino's staying power and hints at much more to come. The brand's Añejo Cristalino Organico is made from 100% organic agaves cooked in traditional stone ovens, according to a Cuervo press release. After the agave has been fermented and distilled in small-batch copper pot stills, it's aged for over a year in new American oak barrels before being transferred to sherry casks to wrap up the aging process. 

All of this makes it similar to a classic añejo. What makes this tequila a cristalino is that, after it's done aging, the tequila is filtered through charcoal. The charcoal removes all of the golden color the tequila acquired from the barrels, returning it to a crystal-clear liquid similar to a blanco. The filtration process also helps smooth out the tequila's flavor profile, resulting in soft notes of stone fruit with a fresh finish and a nose of honey and oak.

For those of you who haven't been keeping up with all things tequila, the Jose Cuervo family was actually the very first to produce a cristalino under its Maestro Dobel tequila brand with the release of the Maestro Dobel Diamante in the American market 2009. Maestro Dobel refers to Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta, the CEO of Jose Cuervo and an 11th-generation tequila maker ("Dobel" is an abbreviation of his last three names).

Legorreta has been striking the cristalino iron while it's hot. He released Cuervo Tradicional Cristalino under Jose Cuervo in 2022 and Gran Coramino shortly thereafter. Still, according to a Cuervo press release, this is the company's first organic cristalino offering, joining its organic Reserva de la Familia Platino and Reposado. 

It's wonderful to see Jose Cuervo exploring high-end tequilas. Through experimentation, it has emerged as one of the most creative and dynamic tequila brands in the world. We haven't seen the last of the cristalinos, but the Reserva de la Familia Añejo Cristalino Organico is an excellent addition to an already impressive roster.