Brand profile | Tequila | 100% blue Weber agave | Tequila Valley, Amatitán, Jalisco | Tres Mujeres distillery (NOM 1466)

Padre Azul is a Mexican tequila brand made from 100% blue Weber agave at the Tres Mujeres distillery in Amatitán, Jalisco. Its core range includes Blanco, Reposado and Añejo.

Hans-Peter “HP” Eder, born into a family of distillers in the Austrian Alps, and his wife, Adriana Alvarez Maxemin, from Jalisco, founded Padre Azul in 2014. Their stated goal was to change how Europe thinks about tequila. The name reflects that ambition: “Padre” refers to the Mexican expression “¡qué padre!”, meaning fantastic, rather than the literal translation of father. “Azul” nods to blue Weber agave.

Production takes place at Tres Mujeres (NOM 1466) in the Amatitán Valley, near the town of Tequila, where Padre Azul has dedicated fermentation tanks and stills. Master distiller Erika Sangeado, Adriana's cousin, makes the tequila from Valley agave harvested at 8 to 10 years old. The agave is slowly cooked in a masonry oven and fermented using wild, airborne yeasts, with no commercial yeast added.

Where is Padre Azul tequila made?

Padre Azul tequila is made at the Tres Mujeres distillery, NOM 1466, in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico. Amatitán is in the Tequila Valley, also known as Los Valles.

What is the difference between Padre Azul Blanco, Reposado and Añejo?

Blanco rests for two to four weeks in stainless steel without wood contact. Reposado matures for eight months in ex-bourbon barrels, while Añejo ages for at least 18 months in ex-bourbon American oak. Resting and oak maturation distinguish the three expressions.

HP Eder and Adriana Alvarez Maxemin launched Padre Azul as a family-owned business, describing it as a love story between Austria and Mexico. Europe was its first target market, and the bottle became the brand's calling card: hand-blown Mexican glass topped with a 270 g cast-iron skull celebrating Día de Muertos, wrapped in a leather jacket inspired by lucha libre wrestling masks.

In 2021, Erika Sangeado and global bartending champion David Rios co-created Padrecito, an organic sister tequila.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adriana also founded the #RamonPorVida Foundation to support people in need.

Padre Azul's distinctive bottle is matched by a hands-on production process. The tequila is wild-fermented without added commercial yeast, then distilled twice, with heads and tails removed on both runs and cuts guided by smell and taste.

• 100% blue Weber agave from the Amatitán Valley, harvested at 8 to 10 years old.
• Wild fermentation using airborne yeasts, with no commercial yeast added.
• Dedicated tanks and pot stills at the Tres Mujeres distillery (NOM 1466).
• Production led by master distiller Erika Sangeado.
• Hand-blown Mexican glass, a 270 g cast-iron Día de Muertos skull and a hand-fitted leather jacket.

For those drawn to distinctive presentation and slow-made Tequila Valley spirits, Padre Azul brings both to the back bar.

Padre Azul follows a slow, hands-on process, from mature agave to the finished bottle.

• Agave: Blue Weber agave from the Amatitán Valley, grown under long-term contracts with neighbouring farmers and harvested at 8 to 10 years old.
• Water: Water from the distillery's own well is used to wash sugars from the milled agave fibre.
• Cooking: Quartered agave piñas are hand-stacked in a 15-tonne masonry oven, steamed for at least 24 hours, then rested for around another 24 hours.
• Milling: A four-stage roller mill extracts the agave sugars.
• Fermentation: Airborne yeasts drive fermentation in open-top stainless steel tanks for three to seven days, without heating or cooling.
• Distillation: The tequila is distilled twice in dedicated stainless steel pot stills, with heads and tails removed on both runs.
• Resting and ageing: Blanco rests for two to four weeks in stainless steel. Reposado matures for eight months in medium-char ex-bourbon barrels. Añejo ages for at least 18 months in ex-bourbon American oak.
• Bottling: The tequila is presented in hand-blown Mexican glass with a hand-cast iron skull and a hand-fitted leather jacket.

Slow cooking, wild yeast and distillation cuts guided by smell and taste shape Erika Sangeado's approach to Padre Azul.