Clase Azul Uncorks $2,000 Día de Los Muertos Tequila Aged in Champagne Casks

(Photo: Clase Azul)

Luxury tequila icon Clase Azul is rebooting its annual Día de Los Muertos series with a lavishly expensive añejo aged in an unusual combination of casks.

The release — dubbed Clase Azul Día de Muertos Edición Limitada Trascender — comprises a blend of two tequilas: one aged for 30 months in American whiskey casks and the other finished in barrels previously used to ferment wine destined for Champagne production. Master distiller Viridiana Tinoco says that the tequila is thus imbued with the legacy of autolysis, a fermentation technique associated with the creamy, fuller -bodied mouthfeel of certain Champagnes.

“The soul of the agave, a plant that embodies patience, resilience, and cyclical life, meets the memory of the wine,” Tinoco told The Spirits Business. “Together, they give rise to a spirit that celebrates a permanence that transcends time.”

According to the team, the 40%-ABV tequila opens with aromas of pear compote, ripe apple, peach and sourdough bread, before transitioning into flavors of ripe pear, agave nectar, cacao nibs and toasted walnut on the palate.

In typical Clase Azul fashion, the decanter is just as much the star of the show as the liquid. The evocative one-liter bottle was designed by Clase Azul creative director Sofia Ortiz, who says that its simmering shades of purple and dark blue retell an ancient story about “the passage from the earthly world into the spiritual one.” Yellow accents pay homage to cempasúchil flowers, a fragrant symbol of the afterlife synonymous with Día de Los Muertos altars. 

The añejo is limited to a total release of 10,000 decanters, now available for pre-order at $2,000 each through specialized retailers like Sip Tequila and El Cerrito Liquor.

It’s the beginning of a new(ish) chapter for the brand. Last year marked the final release in Clase Azul’s annual Nuestros Recuerdos series, which unveiled a new limited-edition bottle every Día de Los Muertos from 2021 through 2025. Trascender is the first Muertos bottle in many years released outside of that collection and is the first conceived as a standalone creation.

“Standalone” or not, it’s clear that Clase Azul won’t be abandoning its Día de los Muertos bottles anytime soon. The holiday-themed series is among the most expensive and sought-after tequila labels on the market, and has gradually grown more expensive with each passing year. The 2022 edition hit shelves at a suggested retail price of $1,050; the 2023 edition at $1,450 and the 2024 edition at $1,500. This year’s $2,000 price tag is the highest yet.

When decanters find their way toward resellers, prices are known to jump even further. In June, the brand’s original Muertos decanter hit a gavel price of $35,000 at Sotheby’s, cementing it as the most valuable single bottle of tequila ever sold at auction.