Description
Casa Herradura was founded around 1870 in the town of Amatitán, which is located 35 km from Guadalajara and 20 km from Tequila. Its factory is located in the Hacienda San José del Refugio, which is renowned for its beauty, with large gardens and open spaces, where you can still see the old stone ovens and copper stills, traditional in the production of tequila.
In 2001, the Romo de la Peña family sold 25% of its shares to the Spanish brandy company Osborne, although the Herradura owners retained control of distribution in Mexico. In 2004, however, the same Romo de la Peña family bought back 25% of the company, bringing Tequila Herradura back to 100% Mexican capital. The reacquisition cost 100 million dollars, more than the amount they originally received from the Iberian company.
By 2006, several leading companies in the spirits market were interested in buying Herradura. Among those involved were Pernod Ricard, Brown-Froman, Bacardi and even Spain’s Osborne. Finally, in a transaction worth 876 million dollars, Casa Herradura was taken over by the US transnational Brown-Forman Corp, maker of Jack Daniel’s whisky and Finlandia vodka, among other drinks. The great interest of the American company was due to the great increase in tequila sales in this nation, where total consumption represents 46% of the world production, almost reaching the consumption in Mexico.
Wine Enthusiast magazine chose Casa Herradura as “Distillery of the Year” during its annual Wine Star Awards 2007 competition. Founded in 1870, Casa Herradura is the first tequila distillery to win this renowned award.