San Gabriel Beverage Group

Vinos Y Licores Azteca
Discover the New Era

History of the Distillery
Products: Tequila El Conde Azul | Tequila Raza Azteca | La Quinta Agave Wine | La Quinta Mixes
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A Distillery Steeped in History

Our story begins with El Rancho Valle Escondido. This ranch was originally a Post Office. From 1880 to 1925 the Mexican Pony Express also used it as a rest stop and mount exchange by riders traveling the El Camino Real.

El Rancho Valle Escondido, and surrounding territory, was given to a pair of Spanish generals named Gutierrez as a reward for solving a problem with the local Indians who were attacking the travelers and mail carriers. It remains in the family today.

During the time of Maximilian, legend has it that one afternoon a French General came riding through on his beautiful mare that had been wounded severely and sorely in need of care. The horse was near death when they reached the ranch, and even though her owner loved her dearly, he was forced to leave her behind in order to save her. Soon afterward the mare was found to be pregnant and gave birth to one of the most famous foals in the region known as “EL TIRANO.”

EL TIRANO grew up strong and never lost a horse race. The horses he sired also became famous as champions throughout the region. It is said the Frenchman returned to bring his beloved mare back home, but found only her offspring who were to carry the bloodline of Champions for years to come.

The farm is now a weekend getaway for the Barajas family and still complete with horses, chickens, pigs, and a lake loaded with tasty Tilapia. It also serves as the site of the distillery Vinos y Licores Azteca.

Carmen Lucia Barajas Cardenas, known as “Melly” to all that work with her, founded Vinos y Licores Azteca S.A. de C.V. in 1999.

Melly Barajas found herself a woman in the man’s world of Guadalajara and had to work twice as hard to achieve success. Her hard work paid off as she proudly shows off her new state-of-the-art distillery, which now stands on the grounds of the original farm. Melly’s expertise in the world of tequila extends to selling plants and barrels to other distilleries and to helping small distillers dispose of excess product by providing assistance with exporting to the USA, Europe & Asia. Melly also oversees all the company’s new package designs.

The primary export of Vinos y Licores Azteca is El Conde Azul. The Blue Prince is an exquisite tequila produced by the masterful combination of Mexican art and fine Italian glasswork.

Melly and her brother Ricardo, a renowned artist and sculptor in his own right who works in stained glass, created the package for El Conde Azul. The design was first sent to Italy where it was hand-made by Italian glass blowers. The bottles were then shipped to Mexico City where the brand name is hand-painted in 18 Karat gold.

In addition to El Conde Azul, Melly also produces Tequila Raza Azteca. The name came from Melly’s grandfather who had at one time bred Azteca horses and named one Raza. Azteca is the national horse of Mexico. Another fine tequila on its own, Raza Azteca is packaged in a hand-blown bottle with brushed and painted aluminum labels.

Vinos y Licores Azteca S.A. de C.V. is a fiercely proud family-owned business that provides effective and quick solution to it clients and their relative markets, producing only the finest quality tequilas in the true tradition of the Jalisco region.

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Tequila El Conde Azul

El Conde Azul not only offers you a beautiful presentation, this 100% Blue Agave Tequila is produced from only the finest Blue Agave plants obtained from the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. It provides a pleasing combination of great flavor, smooth taste and a clean finish. Its presentation is truly unique. Its exquisite bottle, hand-blown by Italian artisans, is combined with a hand-lettered 18 Karat gold label making it an excellent choice for the upscale markets.

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Tequila Raza Azteca

Blanco
80 Proof (40%) • 750 ml available

Tequila Raza Azteca Blanco is 100% Blue Agave premium tequila. It is bottled immediately after the second distillation in a cobalt blue bottle with a hand made aluminum label. This fresh tequila is soft and light and equally delicious neat, on the rocks or served with a wide variety of soda or juices without losing any flavor.

Reposado
80 Proof (40%) 750 ml available

Tequila Raza Azteca Reposado is produced from 100% Blue Agave and then aged for a minimum of six months in white oak bourbon barrels. This aging process results in a smooth tasting tequila with a slightly oaky flavor. Best served straight in the traditional manner with salt and lime.

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La Quinta Agave Wine

Popular in Mexico for some time, Agave wine is becoming more widely accepted in select markets of the USA.

La Quinta is a typical Agave wine produced through fermentation of the Agave plant with the resulting wine then fortified to 20% or 24% alcohol by volume using Agave spirits. This is similar to how Port is created and allows the end product to receive a "wine" classification.

This is an important point as the primary market for Agave wine in the USA exists predominantly in those restaurants, bars, six-pack shops and convenience stores that do not have a distilled spirits license, only a beer and wine license.

In the restaurant trade, an establishment can serve a legitimate Margarita drink using Agave wine in place of Tequila. At 20% or 24% by volume, it is near the strength of 1-1/2 oz of tequila served in an 8 oz glass. There is no telltale taste making the drink indistinguishable from an actual Margarita.

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La Quinta Mixes

Specially Formulated to Compliment La Quinta Agave Wine.

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Table Tent | Recipes

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