Estilo Magazine
By Marcela Aguilar y Maya

Photographs by Tequila Partida and Marcela Aguilar y Maya

Witnessing the Birth of the New Tradition of Tequila: Partida

For many years during its development, Partida was the best kept secret in the world of tequila. Very few people in Mexico knew about it, and it was almost mythical among tequila aficionados in San Francisco, New York and London. However, as it happens with all legends that involve good things, the secret was revealed. A few months after the launch of the Partida Tequila project in México, we had a private reception with Gary Shansby — the man who had the dream and turned Partida into an exquisite reality — to talk and taste the product.

The fact that tequila is now present on the very best spirits menus in the world is encouraging to those proud of Mexican beauty, culture and traditions. In the past tequila was perceived as a spirit consumed mostly by teenagers wishing to get drunk quickly and cheaply. Well, those days recede further every day as tequila is quickly ascending as one of the world’s ultra premium spirits. Adios to the tequilas produced and exported on the road that goes from Mexico City to Pachuca, bottled with jorongo and sombrerito. It is an honor to witness and acclaim today this new age in which the finest, most carefully cultivated spirit from the agaves, the true Tequila, is now representing our great heritage.

The acclaim for Partida deserves to be mentioned. World beverage expert F. Paul Pacult awarded Partida the highest possible grades in his Spirit Journal, not only for its impeccable traditional handcrafting and aging process, but for its delicate taste and aroma. Mr. Pacult called Partida “The Bentley of the Tequilas.”

Prepared at the distillery exclusively designed for Partida Tequila in Amatitán (very close to Tequila in the State of Jalisco), Partida Tequila is handcrafted according to generations of tequila making traditions. With no compromises made for production increases, Partida has been able to respect the handcrafted process while combining and complementing with modern technologies. The Partida Tequila philosophy is rather simple: In order to produce the best tequila in the world, you must be careful and obsessive with every single step of production, from the cultivation and harvesting of the agave to the bottle itself.

At the end of the day such details are worth it; every sip exudes quality. Even for those considered tequila experts or aficionados, the taste of Partida is a great surprise: strong, solid, clean, with a delicate note of sweetness and unique smoothness on the palate. Superior, even to tequilas considered the best. Making it to this point was not an accidental success. Partida Tequila is the result of decades of investigation, work in the fields, absolute dedication, pride and passion for the finest agave tradition.
My meeting with Gary Shansby, chairman and founder of Partida Tequila, took place in Careyes, where we talked about his new entrepreneurial adventure. For Gary — who has
distinguished himself as an expert brand builder and a top executive of multinational companies — Partida Tequila is more than a new project; it is a real passion, which can only be compared with one of his other great passions: Mexico.

Tell me Gary, how did you get started with this venture and get into the world of tequila?

From the beginning, I envisioned making a product, specifically a super premium tequila, that would be 100% representative of the Mexican tradition, and made as authentically as possible. Simply the best.

How did you get the name?
The Partida name is very common in Jalisco, a region of the Amatitán Valley, among the agave growers. I wanted a name that would reflect generational tradition, typifying those who are close to the soil and at the same time, representative of the people who work it. When I started with this idea, I got close to one family in particular with a long tradition in the cultivation of agave. That is how I met Don Enrique, a great man and head of the Partida family, who at the time cultivated and controlled vast amounts of agave for different tequila producers. When the project was born, I immediately chose to call the brand Partida because it is a typically Mexican name, and it represents what we call the true spirit of tequila. Let me emphasize that the name “Partida” goes beyond a single family; it is a tribute to all the people who work on the cultivation of the agave.

Then, this new adventure in your life can be considered a tribute to Mexico…
Fortunately, I have had many brands and companies in my career that have been very successful. At this stage of my life (I will be seventy years old this summer) I plan to enjoy every detail of the brand’s creation — the process, the day-to-day work — because it’s what I love to do. Mexico is a country that fills me with passion, a country that I love, and beyond the goal of producing the best tequila ever made, what I really enjoy is being part of this process, which even though slow, has been more than worth it. I have learned so much from Mexico.

Well, the first thing I can think of is to thank you for the love that you have for my country…
Our country! (Gary laughs)

Gary, tell me about the first steps in making Partida what it is today …
First, I spent about five years studying and understanding what was necessary to succeed in such a complex industry. And I learned that there are four fundamental factors:

First, a large and consistent production of the best agave. In order to have the best agave there are several considerations, such as the soil and the weather. The agaves obtained in the highlands, for example, are different than those obtained in the tequila valley, where Amatitán is located. There is also the amount of water received during the rainy season,
which influences the sweetness of the agaves; and of course, the temperature of the regions, which among other things can affect the size of the plant. Agave tastes vary depending on the location of the lands.

Second, the appellation of origin. Just like Champagne and Cognac, the tequila can only be called “tequila” if it comes from this region.

Third, the process itself. We redesigned our distillery with modern technology while maintaining some of the traditional processes. We essentially created a laboratory to better facilitate the distillation process. This is another crucial aspect that deeply affects the taste of the product. After hundreds of options, we discovered that the finest taste came when the tequila was aged in one-pass Jack Daniel’s barrels. The remaining notes in the barrels gave our product the unique and special taste that distinguishes Partida Tequila.
And finally, there is the aging period. We spent several years testing and measuring the precise time in the barrel for each mark of tequila to reach perfection. We concluded that the ideal aging period for Reposado is 6 months while for the Añejo the optimal time is 18 months. Our Blanco, which is not aged and is the basis for the Reposado and Añejo, has also been acclaimed and recognized by the most qualified tequila aficionados.

I realize that Partida Tequila has the best of both worlds: quality in the production and consistency as well as tradition. You just have to taste it — which I am doing right now — to realize that. A fine nose, strong but smooth, a perfect color, natural, original, organic with no additives… perfect.
That’s the idea… to make it perfect.