El Tesoro Status?

[jehowe]

Just checking to see if anyone has any news of how things have settled for El Tesoro and the Camarena family. One of my very favorites across all types, I'm having to look hard now to find it (Chicago).

[ChavoCheque]

I don't know anything concrete, but the distributor here tells me he has been unable to get any information (price sheets, etc) from the distillery in some time. It has been low/out of stock for some time as well.

[jehowe]

Ok thanks, and kind of confirms what I'm seeing in the Chicago area. The largest retailer here (with the most complete tequila stock) says all the inventory the distributor has left is in their stores. ET Plata is flat out not available and hasn't been since January, ET Reposada & Anejo still are if you find stores that have it on the shelves.

There were rumors of a sale and unfortunate difficulties the Camarena family were going through about a year ago, but nothing was ever confirmed as far as I know.

Any members here located near Arandas, Jalisco?

[ChavoCheque]

I am in Arandas semi-regularly. The El Tesoro brand has been owned by Beam Spirits for a while now, although La Alteña (distillery) is still owned by the family as far as I know.

[jehowe]

Originally Posted by ChavoCheque

......La Alteña (distillery) is still owned by the family as far as I know.

Thanks for the info, it would be great to hear the family is still in the business and producing. I hope to be in Cozumel in October and will look for their Tapatio brand if I can make it down (fingers crossed).

[totallytequila]

Originally Posted by jehowe

Thanks for the info, it would be great to hear the family is still in the business and producing. I hope to be in Cozumel in October and will look for their Tapatio brand if I can make it down (fingers crossed).

The last couple of times I have been to Cozumel I did not see any Tapatio. It has been close to two years since my last visit so perhaps things have changed. If you do make it down there, let us know if you see any.

[sipper]

Tapatio was available at the Hacienda Tequila Factory on Fifth Avenue in Playa Del Carmen - you might want to ferry over from Coz and do your tequila shopping in PDC - I have read that the prices are a bit cheaper in PDC, and I know that the PDC prices are cheaper than in Cancun. I've checked my photos and Tapatio Blanco was 20.00 and 1 litre of Anejo was 53.00. Hope that helps.

Fifth Avenue is the tourist area and more expensive than if you went further out into town, but if you don't want to spend a lot of time driving and hunting down tequila, it's a fun street to walk along (no cars allowed), and there is tequila for sale in small tourist stores as well as in drug stores. On Constituyentes, just a block from Fifth toward the private ferry dock, is Tequila Town (it is beside the Gran Porto Real, across from The Royal PDC). Tequila Town has a nice selection of interesting tequilas, and you can also buy shots, sit down out front, and maybe a mariachi band will walk by. Dollar beers and a humidor as well. They even had a magazine on Tequila. (I'm not a shill, but I do love that little slice of tequila heaven).

They also sold 50 mls of tequilas I wanted to try - that's how I discovered Afamado Anejo, Alma de Mujer, and Los Tres Tonos. They also had 200 mls of Chamucos and other bottles - I did not see a lot of 200 or 375 mls anywhere else.

[jehowe]

Thanks for that tip about PDC. I go to Cozumel often for diving and R&R, and have been to Playa Del Carmen a handful of times but never spent a whole lot of time there. If we make it down, I'll make time for a trip over to find Tequila Town- it sounds like fun!

The last time my wife and I were in Playa Del Carmen, we stopped for a drink in the outdoor cabana at Senior Frogs while we waited to catch the ferry and found Anthony Hopkins and his wife (both well juiced) surrounded by staff. I'll have to find that picture

[sipper]

Tequila Town | Playa del Carmen, Mexico | In The Roo

This is a link to a map and a photo of the exterior I found on the web. They are closed on Sundays (that was a long twenty-four hours for me, boy howdy!) so just be warned. Nothing worse than showing up and seeing a CERRADO sign. (Insert Waaah, Waaaah, Waaaaaah, Charlie Brown horn sound here).

I'm lovin' the thought of an Oscar winner getting marinated in tequila - just one more thing we have in common!

[Piña]

it was always a favorite of mine. If I see bottles Im gonna buy them!