Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/343292
38 • SPRING/SUMMER 2014 "We are different and we are glad to be different," says Arturo Lomeli, founder and Master Distiller of Clase Azul. "We love what we do and we are blessed that people love our tequila." Lomeli first began working with tequila in the mid-1990s. "I started mixing pome- granate juice with tequila in my mother's kitchen," he says. "Pomegranate wasn't as popular back then as it is now, so this was a great, fresh idea." Sourcing pome- granates from nearby farmers, Lomeli was struck with the idea to stop sourcing tequila and make one himself, ensuring it would be premium quality. "Everything from 1996 to 2000 was a chain of failures and I was totally disap- pointed," recounted Lomeli. "But then I made two big changes: I got my master's degree in marketing, and I became a cer- tified Master Distiller of tequila. I wanted to create something that I like and enjoy as well as understand how to get it out there." Successes started replacing fail- ures, and Lomeli's premium craft tequila became Tequila Clase Azul. Handcrafted from 100 percent organic blue Weber agave, Clase Azul is made in Jesús Maria-Ayotlàn in Arandas, Jaliso at Productos Finos de Agave—NOM 1416. Matured for at least nine years, the agaves are then slow cooked for three days to ensure that only the most delicious and exotic flavors are extracted from the hearts. After a slow fermentation using a propri- etary strain of yeast, the liquid moves to the hands-on distillation that makes Clase Azul so unique. Clase Azul Plata, the brand's blanco tequila, is filtered until clear and then bottled without being aged. Eight months in used American oak barrels adds a burnished copper color, a caramel palate and a slightly spicy and smoky finish to the Reposado. Clase Azul Ultra is an extra añejo aged in used sherry wood casks from Spain for five years. Only made in batches of 100 bottles, the Ultra is the perfect example of the time and patience required from artisanal spirits. La Pinta, the idea that the Magic of Tequila Azul: Clase