Dos Lunas is a line of 100%

blue agave ''Agave tequilana'', commonly called blue agave () or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico, due to its role as the base ingredient of tequila, a popular distilled beverage. The high production ...

tequila Tequila (; ) is a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands ('' Los Altos de Jalisco'') of the central western Mexican s ...

s produced in Guadalajara, Jalisco,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, by Dos Lunas Spirits, LLC, headquartered in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. The brand has the first triple-distilled silver tequila, a month aged Reposado, 18 month aged Añejo and 10 year old Extra Añejo.

History

On New Year's Eve 2005, Dos Lunas’ founder, Richard C. Poe II, was at a bar in

Telluride, Colorado Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. The firs ...

. After witnessing several patrons order tequila and visibly cringe after tasting it, he had the idea to create a more premium brand of tequila that would taste good be more enjoyable to drink. In 2006, he visited Guadalajara, Mexico and secured a master distiller and began producing Dos Lunas.

Packaging

The bottles used for the Silver, Reposado, and Añejo are made of

frosted glass Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. This creates a pitted surface on one side of the glass pane and has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering the light which passes through, ...

with a small, clear pane in the center which looks onto, respectively, an

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

plant, tequila barrels, and an agave harvester. The bottles won two silver medals for design at the

San Francisco World Spirits Competition The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually (1,407 in 2013 from 63 countries) with tastings inv ...

in 2007. The Grand Reserve tequila is bottled in the first

Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...

crystal decanter ever made for tequila."Extravagant gifts for your favorite foodie", Jay Cheshes, ''New York Daily News'', December 6, 2007
/ref> The bottles are individually numbered, with 1,000 having been produced.

Production

Dos Lunas Tequila is made from 100% Weber

which is grown near

Zapotlanejo Zapotlanejo is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, there were 63,634 inhabitants in the municipality. The municipality has a territorial extension of 643.02 km2. Toponymy Zapotlanejo is a ...

, Jalisco, in the tequila-producing region of Mexico. All-natural

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

, and naturally derived

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

are utilized, while no added

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

s, synthetic anti-bacterial agents, or

glycerine Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...

are used at any point during the growth, production, or

bottling Bottling lines are production lines that fill a product, generally a beverage, into bottles on a large scale. Many prepared foods are also bottled, such as sauces, syrups, marinades, oils and vinegars. Beer bottling process Packaging of bottle ...

processes. It is also certified Kosher. Dos Lunas Tequila is one of the few brands to avoid the use of off-site bottlers, and instead fills each bottle by hand in the same distillery where the tequila is produced. The bottles are also washed in tequila.

Silver

Dos Lunas Silver was introduced in 2006. The silver is cold-filtered, triple distilled and aged for six days in new

white oak The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...

barrels.

Reposado

Dos Lunas Reposado was also introduced in 2006. The reposado is double distilled and rested for nine months in Tennessee

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

casks, and in new American white oak barrels. At the end of the nine months, the tequilas from both casks are blended to create an always consistent smooth and mellow taste.

Añejo

Dos Lunas Añejo was introduced in 2008. Like Dos Lunas reposado, it is aged in both

Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey is straight whiskey produced in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Although it has been legally defined as a bourbon whiskey in some international trade agreements, most current producers of Tennessee whiskey disclaim references to ...

casks and new American white oak casks, but is aged twice as long, being mixed and bottled after 18 months to create this distinctive sipping tequila.

Extra Añejo

Dos Lunas’ Extra Añejo Grand Reserve is a special edition tequila that was made in limited quantity. 1,000 bottles were produced, out of tequila that had been aged 10 years in Spanish

sherry Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versi ...

casks.

Awards

Ranked in the Top 10% of Tequilas in each category according to the

Beverage Testing Institute The Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) is a marketing service company that provides reviews for spirits, wines, and beers. It uses numerical scores and publishes books of its test results. The company's beer marketing program, the World Beer Champio ...

(BTI).

Silver

* 2007: Silver Medal at the

* 2008: Bronze Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Bronze Medal at the Agave Spirits Challenge in Cancun, Mexico * 2009: Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Gold Medal at the

Beverage Tasting Institute The Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) is a marketing service company that provides reviews for spirits, wines, and beers. It uses numerical scores and publishes books of its test results. The company's beer marketing program, the World Beer Champio ...

’s International Review of Spirits * 2010: Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition * 2011: Silver Medal at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition * 2012: Gold Medal at the Beverly Hills International Spirits Award * 2013: Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Silver Medal at the International Spirits Challenge, Platinum Medal at the World Spirits Competition Total: * 11 Awards * 3 Gold * 5 Silver * 2 Bronze * 1 Platinum

Reposado

* Ranked #1 in the world by both the beverage Testing Institute (BTI) and the San Francisco world Spirits Competition two years in a row (2009, 2010) * 2006: Gold Medal at the Beverage Tasting Institute's International Review of Spirits * 2007: Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition * 2008: Bronze Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, Gold Medal at the Beverage Tasting Institute's International Review of Spirits, Silver Medal at the Agave Spirits Challenge in Cancun, Mexico * 2009: Silver Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, Gold Medal at Beverage Tasting Institute's International Review of Spirits * 2010: Double Gold Award at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition * 2011: Silver Medal at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition * 2012: Gold Medal at the Beverly Hills International Spirits Award * 2013: Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Bronze Medal at the International Spirits Challenge Total: * 12 Awards * 2 Double Gold * 4 Gold * 4 Silver * 2 Bronze

Añejo

* 2008: Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Silver Medal at the Beverage Tasting Institute's International Review of Spirits, Gold Medal at the Agave Spirits Challenge in Cancun, Mexico * 2009: Silver medal at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, Gold Medal at the Beverage Tasting Institute's International Review of Spirits * 2010: Bronze Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition * 2011: Silver Medal at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition * 2012: Gold Medal at the Beverly Hills International Spirits Award, Platinum Medal at the World Spirits Competition * 2013: Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition Total: * 10 Awards * 3 Gold * 5 Silver * 1 Bronze * 1 Platinum

References

External links

*
Interview with founder at Youtube (company posted)
{{Alcoholic beverages 2006 establishments in Mexico Food and drink companies established in 2006 Mexican brands Kosher drinks Tequila Food and drink companies based in El Paso, Texas