Sauza Tequila Import Company is a producer of

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

located in

Tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...

, a municipality of the state of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and owned by

Suntory Global Spirits Suntory Global Spirits Inc., formerly known as Beam Suntory, Inc., is an American beverage company that is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, a Japanese multinational beverage conglomerate. The company produces alcoholic beverages. It is the th ...

, a subsidiary of

Suntory Holdings (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. ...

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

. The company was founded in 1873 when Don Cenobio Sauza started La Perseverancia distillery. Sauza Tequila Import Company is Their products include Sauza, Conmemorativo, Hornitos and Tres Generaciones.

History

Three generations of Sauza Dons

Don Cenobio Sauza

In 1873 Don Cenobio Sauza founded Sauza at La Perseverancia distillery. He was the first distiller to call the spirit produced from blue agave plant "tequila" and the first to export the drink to the United States.

Don Eladio Sauza

His son, Don Eladio Sauza was born in Tequila in 1883. When he was old enough to continue the family tradition, he expanded the family business by opening branches in

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

and

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and a concession in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Don Francisco Javier Sauza

In 1931, Don Eladio Sauza's son, Don Francisco Javier Sauza took over the business and continued the family legacy by broadening distribution and its product's reputation as one of the highest-quality tequilas in the world.

Ownership

By the 1970s, demand for tequila was increasing worldwide. Sauza distillery formed a partnership with the leading Spanish brandy producer,

Pedro Domecq Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

. This relationship eventually led to Pedro Domecq's complete purchase of Sauza distillery in 1988. In the first of a series of beverage-giant transfers, in 1994 the new owner was itself acquired by Allied Lyons to form

Allied Domecq Allied Domecq PLC was a multinational company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent and the world's second-largest spirits gro ...

. That company was purchased by Fortune Brands in July 2005, and then spun off with other drinks businesses as Beam Inc. in October 2011. In April 2014,

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

bought Beam Inc. for about $16 billion, and renamed the unit Beam Suntory. In May 2024, Beam Suntory was re-branded as

. Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (2587). Sauza tequila products are still distilled at La Perseverancia ( NOM: 1102).

Products

Sauza Tequila

* Sauza Blanco – double distilled, unaged * Sauza Extra Gold – double distilled, unaged 40% abv * Sauza Blue Silver - 100% agave, double distilled, unaged * Sauza Blue Reposado - 100% agave, double distilled, rested in oak casks

Conmemorativo

Sauza Conmemorativo – 100% agave (since 2012). Aged 18 months in oak Bourbon casks - long enough to be called añejo

Hornitos

* Hornitos Plata – 100% blue agave, double distilled, unaged * Hornitos Reposado – 100% blue agave, double distilled, rested two months in 10,000 gallon oak vats * Hornitos Añejo – 100% blue agave, double distilled, aged at least 12 months in American oak barrels * Hornitos Black Barrel - takes the standard Hornitos Anejo tequila aged for a year in traditional oak barrels and then finishes that tequila in heavily charred American Oak casks for four months, and then moves it to a toasted American Oak barrel for another two months.

Tres Generaciones

* Tres Generaciones Plata - 100% blue agave, triple-distilled, unaged. * Tres Generaciones Reposado - 100% blue agave, triple-distilled, aged at least four months in American oak barrels * Tres Generaciones Añejo - 100% blue agave, triple-distilled, aged at least 12 months in toasted American oak barrels

Awards

Sauza's offerings have been moderately successful at international

spirit ratings With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

competitions. The best showing was for the brand's Hacienda Reposado tequila, which won a gold rating at the 2006

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 i ...

. The Extra Gold tequila won bronze at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and received a score of 81 from the Beverage Testing Institute in the same year.

References

External links

Official Casa Sauza Website

Official Sauza Tequila Website
{{Suntory Suntory brands Tequila 1873 establishments in Mexico Food and drink companies established in 1873