The Story Behind PATRÓN® Tequila’s Iconic Bottle

This article is part of a series highlighting the importance of authentic tequila, partnered by PATRÓN. Discover more at The World of PATRÓN.

The next time you reach for a bottle of PATRÓN®, consider the vessel that the 100% Naturally Perfect Tequila comes in: exquisite, iconic. Like the spirit itself, each bottle is crafted with the utmost care and dedication to tradition — it takes the work of hundreds of people to create such an eye-catching bottle and noteworthy spirit.

Each perfectly-crafted bottle of PATRÓN relies on the designers, distillers, and industry pioneers coming together every day to create an instantly-recognizable vessel that both discerning tequila enthusiasts and casual cocktail enjoyers alike have come to rely on.

But what happens behind the scenes? What decisions have been made before that iconic bottle hits the shelf? Much like the process of distilling PATRÓN Tequila itself, the story behind the bottle is rooted in tradition, innovation, and sustainability.

Artisan-Crafted, Recycled-Glass Vessels

The PATRÓN glass bottle is created with you in mind. It’s eye-catching and easy to handle but made with elevated craftsmanship that evokes the highlands of Jalisco where it is made. The shape is both timeless and unique and has become a symbol of masterful quality, just like the tequila within. When you grasp a bottle of PATRÓN, it feels refined — and for good reason.

Each bottle is one-of-a-kind like a work of art, and certainly something that wouldn’t be out of place on a display shelf or inside a glass case. It’s meant to last long after the spirit inside has been enjoyed, and the bottles themselves are made from recycled glass. Reusing and repurposing them is a great way to appreciate the work that goes into making them and continue the cycle of sustainability.

Making PATRÓN Tequila is personal and meaningful; in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, the agave is distilled in small batches using the time-honored tahona method. This sense of care and passion is important to PATRÓN, which is why partnering with artisans who share the same pride in their work is a no-brainer.

The bottles are made using traditional glass-blowing techniques that are developed and honed by experienced artisans. The bottles are then hand-numbered, and real people, not a machine, place each label and signature green ribbon on the bottle.

And though the company continues to grow, PATRÓN hasn’t cut corners amid its rise in popularity. Not in the fermenting and distilling of the tequila, where ripe agave is roasted slowly in the same small-batch ovens as when the company began, nor in the bottle-making process. Each bottle is inspected in a total of fourteen different steps to ensure it’s up to the brand’s standards.

When you pick up the bottle of PATRÓN Tequila, you can feel the weight — literally — of the care that goes into crafting a quality vessel.

Real Cork, Sustainably Harvested

To top off the iconic PATRÓN glass bottle is the signature cork. The corks the company uses are made in Portugal, where most high-quality cork is harvested.

Though synthetic corks are faster and easier to produce, they wouldn’t be in line with the rest of the bottle’s design, or the tequila maker’s high standards. The brand honors the artisanal process from agave field to bottle, cork included.

Perhaps most importantly, the harvesting of cork is a sustainable practice, and much greener than producing a synthetic product. Cork trees can be harvested for their bark once every nine years, and this practice does not damage the tree in any way — instead, the harvesting process peels the bark off the outermost parts of the tree and leaves the rest intact so it can continue to grow. Harvesting the trees is staggered so that workers can continue to collect cork bark and leave already-harvested trees alone.

The cork used for PATRÓN bottles is harvested near Lisbon, Portugal where workers use large axes to skillfully cut cork bark, a process that requires deftness, much like when jimadors wield coas to expertly harvest agave hearts. The cork then gets humidified and washed into workable pieces before being cut and refined by a saw.

This painstaking process honors the care put into every aspect of PATRÓN Tequila. From the slow roasting of the agave to the fourteen-step inspection of the glass bottle to the saw refining the cork over and over again until it’s perfect.

The reason for this high standard is that behind the bottle are the people — the familia.

Handcrafted by PATRÓN Familia

Tequila is, historically, a handcrafted spirit, and PATRÓN is committed to continuing this tradition by conserving the connection each artisan has to their craft. This dedication and focus on the people is part of what makes the brand one of the most recognized spirits brands in the world.

There are over 2,000 employees at Hacienda PATRÓN, the manufacturing headquarters where all PATRÓN tequila is distilled and bottled. Each person involved in the production process makes up the lifeblood of the company, and taking care of them makes it possible to boldly innovate on the time-honored tradition of PATRÓN Tequila, which is still exclusively produced in Jalisco, Mexico.

Without this familia, the iconic PATRÓN bottle would not exist. The quality of the bottle and everything that goes into it is a testament to the tireless dedication to perfection the PATRÓN familia has.

This article is sponsored by PATRÓN.