Casa Dragones

Casa Dragones

Type	Tequila
Country of origin	Tequila, Mexico
Introduced	2009 in United States

Casa Dragones is a small batch, luxury tequila producer made in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico.^[1]

Casa Dragones was founded in 2009 by MTV creator and iHeartMedia (iHeartradio) CEO Robert W. Pittman and tequila industry expert Bertha González Nieves,^[2] the first woman to be certified as ‘Maestra Tequilera’ by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila, the organization recognized by The Tequila Regulatory Council.^[3]

History

Casa Dragones is named after the Dragones from San Miguel de Allende: an elite cavalry led by Ignacio Allende that eventually helped spark the independence movement from the Spanish, which led to the Mexican War of Independence.

Although made in Jalisco, Casa Dragones calls San Miguel de Allende its spiritual home.^[4] The original stables of the Dragones cavalry, now called La Casa Dragones, is located at Recreo, 16, in San Miguel de Allende.

Taste

Casa Dragones is classified as a 100% Blue Agave tequila, and offers two types: Casa Dragones Joven and Casa Dragones Blanco.

Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila (Mexican Academy of Tequila Tasters) describes Casa Dragones Blanco as having a fruity aroma with a taste of "agave warmed by hints of pepper and cloves," ^[5] and Casa Dragones Joven is “soft and smooth with hints of vanilla and spiced undertones, balanced with delicate notes of pear.” ^[6]

Terroir

Casa Dragones harvests its agaves in The Valley of Tequila in the rich agricultural lands of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which is a chain of active and inactive volcanoes across Mexico. The soil is semi arid and semi-humid ideal for Agave Azul Tequilana Weber.^[7]

The soil is abundant with minerals such as copper, iron, potassium and silica, which produces sweet Blue Agaves, the ideal agaves for Casa Dragones.^[8]

Recognition

In May 2013, Wine Enthusiast rated Tequila Casa Dragones Joven a 96/100 – the magazine’s highest tequila rating, saying, “The end result is extraordinarily smooth, with a very sweet, fruity, almost wine-like nose but a bold, pure peppery flavor that finishes cleanly” ^[9]

In November 2010, Casa Dragones won the Grand Prix Stratégies du Luxe, a product and packaging design award for luxury brands. This was the first time a Mexican brand and a tequila had won this award.^[10]

Casa Dragones received praise from Oprah Winfrey when she named Tequila Casa Dragones her favorite tequila in an interview with Facebook Live,^[11] as well as on an Oprah’s Favorite Things Holiday Television Special.^[12] Again, in both 2014 and 2017, Casa Dragones Joven was named to the Oprah's Favorite Things list.^[13]

Casa Dragones Joven has also received praise from Chef Scott Conant ^[14] Chef Eric Ripert,^[15] Chef Bobby Flay,^[16] Chef Enrique Olvera,^[17] Musician Dr. Dre,^[18] Actor Jonah Hill,^[19] Artist Spencer Tunick,^[20] and more.

Casa Dragones Joven was chosen as one of Martha’s Finds by Martha Stewart, on December 17, 2009.^[21]

Collaborations

In 2012, Casa Dragones announced a special edition collaboration with Artist Gabriel Orozco in honor of his mid life retrospective.^[22]

For the debut of Danh Vo's Slip of the Tongue exhibition at Punta Della Dogana Venice in 2015, the featured artist and curator transformed the signature Casa Dragones Joven bottle into a limited collection of 150 Special Edition Punta Della Dogana 2015 bottles. A second installment was exhibited at the Venice Biennale's 2015 Danish Pavilion, where an edition of 666 bottles were incorporated and sold.^[23]

References