FROM THE HEART OF JALISCO, LA ALTEÑA DISTILLERY CELEBRATES 85TH ANNIVERSARY WITH COMMEMORATIVE TEQUILA RELEASE: EL TESORO DE DON FELIPE® 85TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION

The exceptional new tequila celebrates 85 years of Camarena family distilling with a partnership marked by two milestones: El Tesoro finished in Booker's Bourbon 30^th Anniversary barrels

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of the 85^th anniversary of the legendary La Alteña Distillery in the highlands of Jalisco, known for its fine agave fields, El Tesoro™ Tequila is releasing a special limited-edition tequila – El Tesoro™ 85^th Anniversary – rich with the spirit and longstanding friendship between two family legacies.

To honor this incredible milestone and the deep family history, tradition and culture of great distilling through the years, El Tesoro 3^rd Generation Master Distiller Carlos Camarena teamed up with Bourbon icon and 7^th Generation James B. Beam Distilling Co. Master Distiller Fred Noe to age tequila in the legendary Booker's Bourbon 30^th anniversary barrels. The result is a true treasure worth discovering. Like most great partnerships, El Tesoro's 85th Anniversary limited release started off as a friendship. Carlos Camarena has known the Noes – Booker before he passed, and Fred – for the better part of thirty years.

"We are thrilled to introduce a new, unparalleled expression from El Tesoro to mark 85 years of history at La Alteña," says Camarena. "Fred Noe is a great friend and a true legend in the distilling world, and we are so proud of this new spirit we have made together. The result is a complex tequila layered with sweetness, oak and cooked agave. A spirit deserving of the legacies that brought it to life. We toast to our friendship with the Noe family, and to honoring our shared tradition of producing some of the best spirits in the world."

For this special batch, the barrels that previously held Booker's 30^th Anniversary Bourbon were brought to Mexico from Kentucky. Having aged Booker's for up to 16 years, the casks remained rich with the vanilla flavor loved by Fred Noe and embraced by Carlos Camarena during the aging process. These exceptional barrels were filled with El Tesoro Blanco and aged for a minimum of 36 months, each tapped only when it was at the peak of its maturity, to produce the 85^th Anniversary Extra Anejo.

"I was so happy to be working with my old friend Carlos on this liquid," says Fred Noe. "The Camarenas and Noes share a long history at both our family distilleries This tequila embodies family history, innovation and boundary-pushing contributions we have each made to our respective spirits categories. I raise my glass to my friend on this great anniversary."

Since the founding of La Alteña Distillery in 1937 by iconic tequilero Don Felipe Camarena, tequila has been the celebration of Don Felipe's most precious asset: his 100% estate-grown blue agave. Each bottle of El Tesoro begins with this agave which grows for up to eight years in La Alteña's mineral-rich soils and highlands climate, giving it a spiciness that is not often found in Jalisco. It is harvested by hand, and then the hearts – called the piñas – are cooked in old-fashioned hornos (ovens) for three days. The cooked piñas are then slowly crushed under a massive, two-ton tahona wheel made of volcanic stone to release all their juice. The liquid is then either bottled as Blanco or rested in casks to age into the sublime and perfectly sip-able Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo.

As of November 2022, El Tesoro 85^th Anniversary Limited Edition will be available in the US with a suggested retail price of $499.99 (750ml). For a limited time only, it will join El Tesoro's portfolio of fine tequilas including Blanco ($50 SRP), Reposado ($65 SRP), Añejo ($85 SRP) Extra Añejo ($150 SRP), Paradiso Extra Añejo ($180 SRP) and El Tesoro's annual limited edition, the Mundial Series.

EL TESORO 85^TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 42.5% ABV

AROMA           Cooked agave, cherries, seasoned oak, leather, spices, molasses, vanilla, toffee, touch of maple syrup 
TASTE              Sweet, licorice, cooked agave, black berries, oak, almonds, banana, tobacco, spices, coffee, caramel, pepper 
FINISH            Sweet, long, creamy with a touch of spices

About El Tesoro™ Tequila

Since the first drop of El Tesoro ran off the still of La Alteña Distillery more than 80 years ago, every decision has made to celebrate the agave's unique flavor. El Tesoro is a truly authentic tequila made slowly and carefully to capture the agave's essence in a bottle. The El Tesoro portfolio of core products available in the U.S. includes the following (all 40% ABV as El Tesoro is always distilled to proof): Blanco ($50 SRP), Reposado ($65 SRP), Añejo ($85 SRP), Extra Añejo ($150 SRP) and Paradiso ($180 SRP).

@ElTesoroTequila www.eltesorotequila.com

About Beam Suntory

As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including the iconic Jim Beam® and Maker's Mark® bourbon brands and Courvoisier® cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Basil Hayden®, Knob Creek®, and Legent™ bourbon; Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™ Japanese whisky; Teacher's, Laphroaig® and Bowmore® Scotch whisky; Canadian Club® whisky; Hornitos® and Sauza® tequila; EFFEN®, Haku® and Pinnacle® vodka; Sipsmith® and Roku™ gin; and On The Rocks® Premium Cocktails.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good, which now includes its transformative sustainability strategy, Proof Positive. Headquartered in New York City, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

SOURCE Beam Suntory Inc.