The Meaning Behind Don Julio's Distinctly Designed Tequila Bottles

At a time when tequila bottles were stashed beneath tables and not particularly designed for public display, Don Julio González took a different approach to packaging his libations. González was the kind of entrepreneur who would wake up early to survey his agave plants and assess their readiness for harvest, so it should come as no surprise that the way his product was bottled also became a point of dedicated focus. Instead of pouring the results of his hard work into the tall plain bottles used at the time, González insisted on displaying his booze on tabletops in short, square containers. 

The idea took flight at his 60th birthday party at an affair organized by his family. Several of his family members insisted that González's brew be served at the event. González accepted, with the request that his booze be proudly served in bottles that enabled partygoers to gaze into the eyes of those sitting across the table without anything in the way. The idea was a hit and Don Julio tequila has remained bottled mostly in compact packaging ever since. 

González's commitment to quality products lives on in the name of the brand and the hands of the people harvesting agave plants and bottling tequila today. While many of Don Julio's tequila bottles are recognizably short and stout, a few products within the brand's label are sold in bottles meant to stand out in the product line. Among them is the unique Don Julio 1942 tequila, a long, delicate attraction that might be mistaken by the uninitiated for a dessert wine bottle. As well, the Don Julio Real tequila is a squatty dose of extra añejo that comes packaged in an elegant bottle with a glass decanter that can cost buyers several Benjamins. 

Experienced bartenders have no problem identifying which bottles belong to the Don Julio family when they reach for a bottle off the shelf as they mix up tequila sunrises or zesty Paloma cocktails. González himself would be proud of the reputation his alcohol has acquired.