A bottle of Clase Azul GOLD.
When Arturo Lomeli founded his cult status tequila and mezcal brand Clase Azul 20 years ago, he had a twofold purpose: make a great spirit and save Mexico’s fast dying artisan culture at the same time.
“I knew artisans were all over Mexico and that their craft was struggling to survive in the wake of machine made products and also knew that tequila used to come in plain, label less bottles,” says Lomeli, who was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and now resides in Los Angeles. “It made perfect sense to fuse the two together.”
In the last two decades, Lomeli has more than managed to do just that: the statement-making bottles are highly desirable, both for their design sensibility and the spirit that they hold.
Clase Azul founder Arturo Lomeli sought to bring an artisan's touch back to Mexican tequila scene.
A team of Mexican artisans in the tiny village of Santa Maria Canchesda take 11 days to create each one. The laborious process includes making a cask mold from various soils, polishing, glazing and painting. Baking the bottle in an oven heated to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit is the final step.
Clase Azul’s new limited-expression GOLD (only 6000 bottles are available and retails for $300 each) brings the brand’s dual mission to the forefront once again.
The Instagram must decanter is a combination of glass and ceramic and has 24 karat gold finishes including Clase’s signature agave medallion, which is dipped in gold. And then there’s the tequila itself- a blend of plata and eight-year old extra anejo, the latter of which was aged in both bourbon barrels and sherry casks. Taste wise, GOLD is smooth with a smoky sweet finish and has hints of orange peel and figs. Any tequila lover, like myself, will relish it to the last drop.
Herein, Lomeli speaks on his passion for Mexico’s artisans as well as the country itself.
Your tequila is highly desirable and gets top ratings from spirit writers and the general public. Why are you so passionate about having Mexico’s artisans playing a prominent role in your company?
Each bottle of Clase Azul GOLD displays expert craftsmanship.
I am from Mexico and very proud of my heritage. Artisans are a big part of that heritage, and they fit in with my overall vision of the company. I want to build a luxury Mexican brand, not just a luxury tequila brand. We are looking to expand the brand beyond tequila and already have plans to move into the hospitality and maybe the food and housewares space. These artisans are integral to that. They are the essence of Mexico.
Talk about the Mazahua natives that make your bottles. Where in Mexico are they from and what are they like?
A potter hard at work sculpting the base of a Clase Azul GOLD bottle.
They’re from the state of Mexico. Our artisans reside in Santa Maria Canchesda, a town that has less than 1800 people. They have mastered the art of pottery here. Tomas was our first artisan. I remember when he made our bottles for the first time. It took us eight months to sell 500 of them. Restaurant owners said the tequila was too smooth and the bottle was too big to fit on a bar shelf, but now, they embody who we are. Tomas inspired us to open our first bottling facility with the Mazahuas, and his influence remains a driving force with our brand heritage
Can you talk about your charity, Fundacion con Causa Azul, that supports Mexican artisans?
My wife, Sagrario, started it eight years ago, and today, we have a whole team who runs it. The foundation teaches artisans how to turn their craft into a business or at least make money from the goods they create. We link them with hotels who can sell their goods, put them in business classes in the local university and more.
GOLD is inspired by the sunsets in Mexico. What is about the sunsets in your country that makes them so special?
The base of a Clase Azul GOLD bottle being painted.
The Mayans believe that every night you die, and the next day with the sunrise you’re reborn with the opportunity to keep evolving yourself as a person. The sunset is the end of the day and has a beautiful light and symbolizes the chance to be reborn. In a way, I believe this too and think that the most spectacular sunsets are in Mexico. I may be biased because I’m from Mexico!
GOLD, like all your tequilas, is produced in Jalisco. Apart from Puerta Vallarta, this is an area of Mexico that isn’t well-known from a tourist perspective. Is it a destination worth visiting?
A gold sunset cocktail, made with Clase Azul GOLD tequila.
Yes, for sure. The tequila fields are scenic, and Guadalajara is the third biggest city in Mexico (Mexico City is the biggest). There, you have gorgeous historic buildings that are centuries old including the Cathedral and the Governor’s Palace. And the food scene is great. You can have amazing meals like you won’t believe and at prices that are 1/8 of what you would pay in New York or another big city. And, yes, these prices include tequila. In fact, many of the restaurants have more than 50 tequilas to choose from.
What is your favorite part of Mexico and why?
A seal on the bottom of a Clase Azul GOLD bottle, proving it's artisan construction.
These days, it’s Los Cabos, a place I go to the most. My wife loves it because it not humid, and there are no mosquitos. We both love the sea and the seafood there. The oysters and the clams from Baja are the best in the world. And so are the sunsets.
