In 2012, Avión Silver was voted "World's Best Tasting Tequila" and "Best Unaged White Spirit" at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition beating out all vodkas, gins, white rums and other tequilas. The unique history that led to this and other accolades began in the small town of Jesus Maria in Jalisco, Mexico. Avión Tequila is the brainchild of Ken Austin, longtime tequila aficionado and entrepreneur. Austin traversed Mexico’s Highlands region in search of the most coveted agave before finally encountering the Lopez family, fifth-generation agave growers located in Jesus Maria, and falling in love with their rich agave. Together, they honed their tequila-making skills, blending old-school techniques with newer methodologies and always ensuring that no corners were cut along the way. Grown at 7,000 feet above sea level, each Avión agave takes between seven and ten years to fully grow. Once mature, the agaves are harvested and roasted in brick ovens for 72 hours, which brings out the naturally sweet flavors of the plant. Avión is twice-distilled, with the heads and tails of the resulting distillate being removed to focus on the heart — this labor-intensive process means that up to 30% more agaves are used in making Avión than in other ultra-premium tequilas. Once the distilling is complete, Avión is slow-filtered to showcase the hard work and high-quality, artisan ingredients that have gone into making the tequila. Avión Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila is “the culmination of [Avión’s] bespoke tequila process,” says Ken Austin, Avión’s founder and chairman. After filtratration, the tequila is placed in oak barrels for 44 months — 43 of those months are spent in traditional oak barrels, and the final month is spent in “petite” oak barrels which are rotated daily. This unique finishing process imparts even more character unto the tequila, and as a result, Avión Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila has a deep aroma of roasted agave, along with scents of vanilla and light citrus, particularly lemon zest. The nose gives way to flavors of dried fruits, cinnamon and eucalyptus on the palate, which leads to an extremely long and rich finish. Each bottle of Avion Reserva 44 Extra Añejo Tequila is hand-numbered and signed by Avion’s founder, Ken Austin. Pick up yours today!