Once considered a niche choice in the UK, tequila is becoming more and more popular. Recent data shows that around 20 per cent of UK drinkers now include tequila in their regular rotation, and the spirit is outpacing vodka and rum with younger drinkers. Why? Well, for many, Tequila is increasingly seen as the ‘upper’ of the spirits world – not in a chemical sense – but in how many report it makes them feel: light, lifted, euphoric; a so-called ‘Happy High’. From fashion week bars to low-lit lounges, young drinkers are redefining how tequila shows up in culture. Gone are shot rituals and blurry nights. Today’s neat pours, minimalist cocktails and bottles that look as good as they taste.

For Gen Z, who are increasingly monitoring more and more aspects of their own wellness and the planet, a key factor when making decisions around their consumption is knowing what is going into products and how they were crafted. Fortunately, Patrón has been focused on authenticity, purity and ecological impact since its humble beginnings in 1989.

Since inception, the brand’s tequilas have contained no additives, no artificial flavouring and no shortcuts –just the Weber Blue Agave plant (also known as agave azul) and a lot of time. It famously takes “60 pairs of human hands” to make one bottle of Patròn tequila, and the painstaking process begins with specialist farmers known as Jimadors, who spend their days out in the Agave fields harvesting and impressively cutting down the plants to inspect their sugar level before approving them to be at the correct standard for tequila production.

Next, the plants are taken to the Patròn distillery in Atotonilco El Alto, Jalisco, where the oven-baked agave plants are crushed, using traditional tahona wheels (rather than mass-market machinery), before being fermented and distilled into small batches of bottles that are hand-labelled, numbered, and individually inspected.

The distillery isn’t just a production site; it's a sustainable landmark – complete with a botanical garden and dedicated blending labs. The brand reuses over 5,000 tonnes of leftover agave fibres annually as compost to grow fruit and vegetables for employees, and operates a cutting-edge water treatment and recycling system that minimises its environmental impact. Proof that creating at such a premium level doesn’t always have to come at a cost to the planet.

Having been an industry leader both in sales and production standards for so long, what's next for the 36-year-old brand? Well, they’ve decided to mix it up, or rather blend it up with their latest offering named ‘El Alto’, in homage to the distillery’s location.

Crafted over four years, El Alto brings together their existing Extra Añejo, Añejo, and Reposado tequilas, each matured in a mix of 11 barrels—mainly American and French oak. The result is a taste that’s surprisingly smooth yet deeply layered: think notes of fig, honey, caramel, vanilla, and dried fruit.

The brand’s Master Distiller David Rodriguez explains, “Patròn El Alto stays true Patrón Tequila's traditional roots in distilling while innovating in a way that achieves the best blended, aged tequila profile possible. We took four years to focus on only the best of the best... naturally.” 

And with a heritage to be proud of, the new sleek blue bottle design naturally draws direct inspiration from Mexico’s agave fields – although with it now becoming readily available in the UK ( a mini 50ml version is also available), don’t be surprised to see it perched on a shelf at your new favourite listening bar.