In 1870, Flix Lpez began cultivating blue weber agave from the fields of the San Jos del Refugio Hacienda, situated in Jalisco, Mexico. Since then, expert jimadors have been nurturing the crop at the hacienda, which ultimately came to be known as Casa Herradura. Today, the agave growing Casa Herradura, which can take up to ten years to mature, grow up 2 meters high and weigh nearly 500 pounds, are descendants of the original agave growing on the estate in 1870. Herradura Seleccion Suprema Extra Aejo Tequila is crafted using agave harvested exclusively from the Casa Herradura estate. Once the agave have been harvested, the heart of the plant (the pia) is stripped away from its leaves using a special knife called a coa and cooked for approximately 26 hours in ovens made of stone and brick. During this cooking process, the once-white pias turn a deep orange color, and reveal an incredibly sweet and intense aroma (the pias are so sweet that chunks of cooked agave are often sold as candy in the street markets of Jalisco). Once the pias have been cooked, they are crushed and then fermented for up to seven days using natural, air-borne yeasts. Then, the wash is twice distilled and the tequila is matured for four years in American white oak casks that were formerly used to mature Kentucky bourbon. As a result of this extra-long aging process, the tequila has an aroma of dark vanilla, rose petals, cinnamon and intense citrus. Complex notes of baked apples, pineapples, citrus, vanilla pods and caramel are exposed on the palate, and give way to a creamy finish that has touches of lingering spices. Herradura Seleccion Suprema Extra Aejo Tequila earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012 and the Platinum Medal at the Spirits International Prestige Awards the same year. In addition, it earned a score of 94 points at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in 2014, where it was named the Best Extra Aejo Tequila in the World.
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