El Padrino Tequila

Tequila may be the most controversial spirit out there. Often times, people either love it or they really hate it. So, we decided to go out and find some tequila that everyone can enjoy. This brought us to El Padrino Tequila, one of the most highly rated tequilas on the market at a fair price.

So in this article we are going to review El Padrino Tequila and go over any other pertinent information such as history, price, flavor and so on.

El Padrino Tequila History

El Padrino Tequila is produced by Casa Maestri, one of the most awarded tequila distilleries in Mexico. Casa Maestri was founded in 2008 by Michael and Celia Maestri. While they produce many lines of tequila, they recently started a new brand called El Padrino, named after Celia’s grandfather. Don Pedro Barragán was a small town farmer in the state of Michoacan, Mexico and earned the nickname El Padrino, or godfather, because he would give a quart of rice, beans, and flour to the poor each day.

His granddaughter, Celia Maestri, is now honoring his generosity by launching a tequila brand in his name, El Padrino. If you’re not familiar with Casa Maestri, their brands include Reserva de MFM, Caballo Azul, TUYO Tequila, Reserva del Jaguar, and many others.

El Padrino Tequila Distilling Process

Tequila has pretty strict rules on what qualifies as a tequila and what doesn’t. This keeps the distilling process pretty similar for many tequilas. There are typically 5 to steps in the process – harvesting, cooking, shredding, fermenting, distilling, and sometimes aging.

Harvest

All tequila is made from the hearts of the Blue Agave plant. Wheat, corn, potatoes, rye and all the other grains used to make whiskey and vodka typically harvest over the course of a couple months. Not the Blue Agave plant, though. It usually takes 7 or more years for the plant to mature enough to be harvested. Once it is, the agave is trimmed down to just the heart.

Cooking

Once they have the agave heart, the next step is to roast it. Most distillers cut the hearts into halves, thirds, or quarters before cooked. El Padrino agave hearts are cut in half and steam-roasted in brick ovens for 36-54 hours.

Shredding

Next, the cooked hearts are shredded. They pass through a mill that squeezes all the sugary juice out of the agave heart.

Fermenting

The juice squeezed out during the shredding process is transferred over to wooden vats. Over the course of 3-12 days, yeast and water convert the juice to alcohol.

Distilling

El Padrino Tequila is double distilled. The first time it’s distilled is meant to separate the alcohol from the fermented wort. The second is intended to enrich the tequila.

Aging

El Padrino Tequila is aged for 3 months in American oak barrels. They have other selections that have aged from 1-3+ years.

El Padrino Tequila Taste

Now that we’ve covered the history and distilling process of El Padrino, we can get into the information you are probably looking for. What does El Padrino taste like, is it good, is it worth buying, etc.? To clarify, this is my review of their base tequila, El Padrino Blanco. Below if the flavor profile:

Nose: Agave, citrus, pepper.

Taste: Light and mild. nose transfers over. Mostly agave with hints of citrus and pepper.

Finish: Finish is primarily pepper and spice.

El Padrino Tequila Taste Summary

All-in-all, El Padrino is a good tequila. It isn’t the most distinct or flavorful tequila, maybe a bit basic, but nonetheless, good. The part that stands out most is the finish. The nose and taste and light to mild, nothing offensive, nothing crazy. The finish has heavy notes of pepper. If you don’t like pepper, then you might not like El Padrino Tequila.

I have stated before that tequila is the one liquor that I will not drink the cheap stuff. I like good tequila, but I despise bad, typically cheap, tequila. El Padrino, while a bit basic, is a good tequila that I have no problem recommending on a taste basis.

El Padrino Price

We can talk all day about the taste of this, the aromas and depth of that, blah blah blah, but none of that may not matter if it’s not within your budget. Fortunately, El Padrino Tequila comes in at a cheaper price point than many of the tequilas we often drink. Below is the typical price range – this may vary depending upon location and individual store.

• El Padrino Blanco Tequila 750ml: $25-29
• El Padrino Blanco Tequila: 1.75L: $48-53

El Padrino Tequila Value

In this section we are really trying to answer, is El Padrino Tequila worth buying? We compare the taste and price to figure out value. A lot of this does come down to personal preference, so we’re just going to give you our opinion. If we buy tequila it’s probably Patron, Don Julio, or Casamigos which usually runs $35+ for a 750ml. I like El Padrino as much as any of those and it comes in $10 cheaper. Head HERE to check out our thoughts on Don Julio vs Patron.

If you have a tequila that you absolutely love for less than $25 then that’s awesome, and you should stick to it. If you’re someone looking around for a staple tequila or exploring tequila options, El Padrino is a good tequila to try or start at.

El Padrino Tequila Cocktails

You may wonder what mixes well with El Padrino, so we’re going to cover the best cocktails and the best way to drink it.

1. Margarita

Add orange liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup (optional) to a couple oz’ of El Padrino.

2. Tequila Sunrise

Add orange juice and grenadine to your El Padrino Tequila for a tropical and colorful drink. The citrus flavors and orange juice combo really well in this mixed drink.

3. Shot

I couldn’t have a list of tequila drinks or ways to drink it without including a tequila shot! El Padrino Tequila isn’t quite a sipping tequila. It’s fine to sip, but lacks a lot of the depth and character that people may be looking for. The almost basicness of El Padrino makes it a perfect shot.

El Padrino Tequila Selection

As I mentioned, this review focuses on the Blanco selection of El Padrino, but they also offer many other options, including Reposado, Añejo, Cristalino, Extra Añejo, Flavors, Mezcal, and Creams. Below, I’ll briefly cover the differences.

El Padrino Reposado

El Padrino Reposado is the 2nd selection in their lines of tequila. It is aged in American oak barrels for a full year in comparison to the 3 months for the Blanco selection. The extra 9 months in wooden barrels adds a light golden hue to the tequila. El Padrino Reposado usually costs around $30, just a couple dollars more than Blanco.

El Padrino Añejo

El Padrino Añejo is aged for 3 years in American oak barrels. The aging adds flavors of oak and darkens the color a bit more than the Reposado. El Padrino Añejo comes in right around $40.

El Padrino Cristalino

As a note, I couldn’t find much information on this, but their website says this selection is distilled from their best agave fields.

El Padrino Extra Añejo

El Padrino Extra Añejo costs about $80 and per their website is aged for more than 3 years.

El Padrino Flavors

The El Padrino Natural Flavors selection includes Tropical Mango, Spicy Cucumber, and Clementine. Bottled at 35% ABV.

El Padrino Mezcal

El Padrino Mezcal is bottled at 35% ABV in four flavors – Cucumber Basil, Toasted Coconut, Blood Orange, and Joven. Mezcal is any alcohol distilled from an agave plant. It is smoked in the ground giving it smoky flavors. Tequila is a type of mezcal then, but not all mezcal is tequila.

El Padrino Creams

El Padrino Creams come in chocolate, lime, and original flavors. They are liqueurs bottled at 15%.

El Padrino Tequila Summary

Ultimately, whether you like tequila or El Padrino is personal preference. From my opinion and that of many peoples as well, El Padrino is a quality tequila. It lacks the depth and character that sipping tequilas typically have, it is a bit basic which makes it inoffensive, and it’s a quality tequila that makes it perfect in mixed drink or as a shot.

At ~$25 for a 750ml El Padrino Tequila Blanco is a good value, quality tequila in comparison to other bottles that come in around $35+. They also offer more expensive and aged options in their selection.

El Padrino Tequila FAQ

Below are some common questions asked about tequila or El Padrino, much of which is covered in the article above.

Is El Padrino Tequila Good?

In short, yes. El Padrino is typically regarded as a quality tequila, especially for the price range. It lacks depth that many tequila aficionados look for, but to your average drinker, it’s a good tequila.

What Does El Padrino Mean?

El Padrino means Godfather. This was the nickname of Celia Maestri’s (the owner) grandfather.

Who Makes El Padrino Tequila?

El Padrino is owned and produced by Casa Maestri, a business and distillery created in 2008 by Michael and Celia Maestri.