La Gritona Reposado Tequila is a subtle rested tequila distilled by Melly Barajas and her staff of women at her small distillery in Valle De Guadalupe, Jalisco (NOM 1533). Melly distills La Gritona only with agave that has matured, always with an age of between 8-10 years, and all of her piñas must originate in the iron-rich red soil of the local Jalisco highlands. These agave plants are cultivated at the height of their sugar production, near the end of the life cycle. They are put into ovens within 24 hours of trimming. La Gritona IS and ALWAYS has been additive-free.
Melly’s agave is first steam cooked in two thick-walled earthen ovens for 24 hours and then allowed to rest for another 24 hours before crushing. The collected liquid is naturally fermented and oxygenated in open steel vats at a rate that is dictated by the local air temperature, usually 8-12 days. Once fermentation is completed, we distill our nascent blanco tequila twice. We rest the distilled blanco in reused American whiskey barrels (Jack Daniels and Balcones) for 6 months before bottling.