Brand Profile | Tequila
100% Blue Weber Agave · Los Altos (Highlands), Jalisco · Casa Tequilera de Arandas

El Cristiano is made at Casa Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1499), in the heart of the Jalisco Highlands. The brand was founded by brothers Karan and Nitin Khanna, who partnered with the Aceves family, three generations of maestro tequileros with four decades of combined experience, on one rule: no additives, ever.

Arandas sits at altitude in Los Altos, where red, iron-rich soil and cooler nights push Blue Weber agave to grow slower and sweeter than valley-grown plants. El Cristiano leaves that agave in the ground for a minimum of six years, well past what most brands bother with, so the sugars are fully developed before it ever reaches the still.

El Cristiano was founded by brothers Karan and Nitin Khanna, who fell for tequila on a trip to Punta Mita and later partnered with the Aceves family at Casa Tequilera de Arandas to build their own. The brand officially launched in 2022 with an event at Los Angeles' San Vicente Bungalows, backed by a large billboard campaign across LA, San Diego and Las Vegas.

The tequila backed up the launch quickly. Within its first year, El Cristiano's Reposado and Black Extra Añejo both took home Double Gold at the TAG Global Spirits Awards, with the Blanco winning Silver, a strong showing for such a new label.

The big one is purity. El Cristiano is additive-free from the ground up and uses roughly 4.5kg of agave per bottle, nearly double what most brands use, harvested only after a minimum of six years in the ground.

What it brings to the shelf:

• 100% Blue Weber agave from the Highlands of Arandas, Jalisco
• Additive-free at every stage, no added sugars, colours or glycerin
• Agave matured a minimum of six years, up to eight for the Ocho
• Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel, without fibre
• Double distilled through stainless pot stills with a copper coil
• A portion of every bottle goes back into the Arandas community through the brand's foundation work

If you want a Highland tequila built around genuinely mature agave and a hard additive-free line, El Cristiano is one of the more serious newer names on the shelf.

The process leans on patience more than anything else. Same approach across the whole range.

• Agave: 100% Blue Weber, matured a minimum of 6 years (8 years for the Ocho), grown in Los Altos, Jalisco
• Cooking: High-pressure autoclave
• Extraction: Roller mill
• Fermentation: Stainless steel tanks, native yeast, fermented without fibre
• Distillation: Double distilled through stainless pot stills with copper coil
• Additives: None, at any stage
• Aging: Blanco unaged. Reposado 6 months in American oak. Reposado XR 11 months across ex-bourbon American and ex-red wine French oak. Black Extra Añejo 3 years in American oak. Ocho Extra Añejo 8+ years in American oak.

Mature agave, native yeast, and zero additives. That's the whole pitch, and the awards cabinet backs it up.