Alto Canto Tequila Hits the Ground Running With Trio of Additive Free Highland-Sourced Expressions

(Photo: Alto Canto)

Daday Suárez and Master Distiller Juan Reyes are bringing a new tequila brand to market, and it’s distilled at the highest altitude of any tequila in Jalisco. Its name, Alto Canto, translates to “high song” in English.

The brand’s three inaugural expressions — one of which is bottled at high-proof — are crafted with the old-school methodology that die-hard agave spirits fans dream of.

Agaves are cooked for 72 hours in brick ovens before being macerated with a traditional tahona (a heavy volcanic stone wheel). The spirit then undergoes malolactic fermentation with endemic yeasts. Aged expressions are finished in new American oak barrels contained inside an adobe brick building, said to “allow for the slow extraction of flavors and aromas.”

“Originally I planned to buy tequila and market it in the U.S. as a legacy project for my family,” founder and General Manager Daday Suárez said in a news release. “I soon realized I wanted to build something from the ground up that celebrates the best of Mexico and its terroir. Juan had the same vision, and together, we spent five years building a distillery to make tequila in the purest way possible.”

The vast majority of tequila is distilled at one of around 140 approved distilleries, each of which can produce dozens of brands under the same roof. Alto Canto is the only spirit distilled at Tequila El Rocio, a rarity within the industry shared only by heavy hitters like Fortaleza, Siete Leguas and El Tequileño.

Details on each of the three expressions can be found below:

• Blanco / 40% ABV – Settles for 25 days in a white oak container, softening and stabilizing the spirit’s temperature. This transparent spirit offers notes of lime, pepper, vanilla, and butter.
• Reposado / 40% ABV – Aged in new American oak barrels inside the adobe structure. Pale tan, with flavors of cooked agave and aromas of wood, dried fruits, nuts, caramel, and vanilla.
• High Proof / 48% ABV – Bottled straight from the still. This clear, silverish spirit features notes and aromas of pepper, cooked agave, citrus, and local minerals.

Following availability in Mexico, Alto Canto is planning to make its U.S. debut this month in New York City. Find more about the brand here.

Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here!