PATRÓN Proudly Unveils Additive-Free Verification from Tequila Matchmaker

PATRÓN tequila is honored to receive the additive-free verification for their commitment to natural production by independent consumer website and app, Tequila Matchmaker. This recognition reflects a rigorous annual verification process, including distillery and production audits, lab tests, and sensorial tasting during which the Hacienda PATRÓN and seven other tequila distilleries were extensively audited by the founders of Tequila Matchmaker. The verification recognizes PATRÓN tequila’s time-honored distillation process using only the highest-quality raw materials, with nothing else added to alter the natural taste, smell, or color across the entire portfolio.

“The truth is out. For decades tequila makers have added artificial flavors, aromas, and colors to alter quality and enhance taste. Consumers deserve to know what they’re paying for and what they’re putting in their bodies,” says Adrian Parker, Global Vice President, Marketing, for PATRÓN tequila at Bacardi Limited Brands. “As a people-first brand, PATRÓN wants to be transparent about the highest-quality, premium ingredients we use to craft our tequila. From the very beginning, we’ve never cut corners or cost and we never will. We are honored to receive the Tequila Matchmaker additive-free verification and will continue to make high-quality tequila the hard way.”

The Tequila Matchmaker team are trained in the detection of additives, such as glycerin, food coloring, or oak extracts, which many other brands use to enhance color or flavor. According to Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council there is no legal requirement for tequila brands to notify consumers when additives are used as long as they don’t exceed one percent of the product’s total volume. This means that the many brands that do use additives will often make claims that they are not using any at all. Using additives allows them to produce tequila faster and with less attention to detail, but at the sacrifice of the natural aromas, flavors, and textures that are born of a slower, more traditional process. PATRÓN tequila does not compromise quality for efficiencies and is one of the few brands that have been dedicated to a natural, handcrafted production process since its inception.

“At the heart of the PATRÓN process is a devotion to purity of spirit,” said Antonio Rodriguez, Director of Production at PATRÓN Tequila. “From hand-harvesting the best 100 percent Weber Blue Agave, to the time-honored distillation process and individual inspection of each bottle, we have been crafting PATRÓN with meticulous precision, care, and authenticity as fundamental pillars from the brand’s inception. The result was our time-honored, original, additive-free recipe that has always been handcrafted with the wellness of the community in mind from the very beginning.”

To achieve excellence in taste and color, every drop of PATRÓN is crafted with only the highest-quality ingredients. This process includes hand-harvesting the best 100 percent Weber Blue Agave that is cultivated for its specifically high-sugar content in order to deliver the exceptionally smooth flavor that is born of nothing but true tequila. PATRÓN is committed to investing and growing their tequila portfolio and does not cut corners when it comes to perfecting the craft production process, especially with aged tequilas, which requires patience to achieve greatness. PATRÓN offers a range of fine tequilas, meticulously aged in handmade barrels, sourced from around the world. The aged portfolio ranges from two months at minimum for PATRÓN Reposado and all the way up to ten years for Añejo 10 Años, the brand's newest release and oldest tequila. Each of these aged tequilas start with PATRÓN Silver Tequila, that is then aged in a variety of barrels for several months before they are bottled and available to consumers.

Every drop of PATRÓN tequila produced is handcrafted with the brand's stamp of excellence and the additive-free verification is a testament to the PATRÓN production team as they continue to innovate and create unparalleled products.