El Tesoro '85th Anniversary' Extra Anejo Tequila
El Tesoro '85th Anniversary' Extra Anejo Tequila is a one-time 2022 release bottled at 85 proof (42.5% ABV) in a 750mL bottle — a collaboration between La Alteña master distiller Carlos Camarena and Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe, aged a minimum of three years in 50 hand-selected casks that previously held Booker's 30th Anniversary bourbon (bourbon aged up to 16 years). It's 100% estate-grown highland Blue Weber agave from Arandas, Jalisco — brick-oven cooked, tahona crushed, fermented with the fibers in open wooden tanks, double-distilled in copper pots — and strictly additive-free. Order online at Del Mesa Liquor for San Diego delivery or pickup.
- Proof / ABV: 85 proof / 42.5% ABV
- Size: 750mL
- Age: minimum 36 months in Booker's 30th Anniversary bourbon barrels
- Origin: La Alteña Distillery (NOM 1139), Arandas, Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
- Production: estate highland agave; tahona; copper pot; additive-free; Carlos Camarena × Fred Noe collaboration
Two Family Legacies, One Barrel
In 2022 La Alteña turned 85 — founded in 1937 by Don Felipe Camarena, still family-owned — and the Camarenas marked it the only way they know how: with patience. Fifty casks that had held Booker's 30th Anniversary bourbon, rich with up to 16 years of vanilla, were filled with El Tesoro distillate and tapped only at peak maturity, three-plus years later. Few collaborations in agave spirits carry this much history in a single pour — the Camarena and Noe families, two bourbon-and-tequila dynasties, meeting in oak. Explore more aged expressions in our tequila and extra añejo tequila collections, or browse everything from El Tesoro.
Tasting Notes
The nose opens with cooked agave and ripe cherries over seasoned oak, leather, and warm molasses, with vanilla, toffee, and a thread of maple syrup nodding to the bourbon casks. The palate is sweet and generous — blackberries, almonds, banana, tobacco, coffee, and caramel over dark oak and pepper — before a long, creamy finish laced with gentle spice.
How to Enjoy
This is a snifter-after-dinner tequila: pour it neat, give it time to breathe, and let the bourbon-barrel layers unfold. It needs no cocktail, though a single large cube won't hurt it. Pair with dark chocolate or a fine cigar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What barrels was the 85th Anniversary aged in?
Fifty hand-selected casks that previously held Booker's 30th Anniversary bourbon — bourbon aged up to 16 years — for a minimum of 36 months.
Is El Tesoro 85th Anniversary additive-free?
Yes — no additives; its deep amber color and dessert-like richness come entirely from the barrel and the highland agave.
Where is it made?
La Alteña Distillery (NOM 1139) in Arandas, in the Los Altos highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, from 100% estate-grown Blue Weber agave.
A collector-grade extra añejo that belongs in a snifter after dinner — order yours online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.