We take our time cooking the Agave as this is crucial in our tasting profile. We use a clay oven (compared to others that use stainless steel ovens) that gives our cooked Agaves a smoky flavor, and a sweet after taste. Tequila Centinela slow cooks with steam and this process takes approximately 24 hours. In the first 4 hours we get, by gravity, some liquids from the cooked agave that we discard, to eliminate impurities and "the amargo" (the bitter). The cooked Agave is then allowed to settle and cool for an additional 24 hours.Tequila Centinela Extra Anejo is 100% Agave and aged over three years in previously used bourbon barrels.Tequila Centinela was established in 1904 and was the first distillery located in Arandas, Jalisco. Centinela means "the one to watch and keep".The process has not changed; we combine tradition with top technology to ensure the consistency in our products. Our Agaves take approximately 8 years to mature, and are hand-picked at their peak from our own Agave fields. We also buy 20% from local producers to help the region's economy. Our Jimador's are hired as full time workers and are paid a salary. The Jimador's are trained to cut the pencas extremely close to the pina to prevent any bitter flavors during cooking.
