EXPECT TO FIND DOCTORADO AMONG THE FINEST.

A distinguished spirits collection is defined not simply by the number of bottles on its shelves, but by the names chosen to occupy them.

Doctorado was created to stand among those names.

Doctorado is more than a name we chose for a bottle. It reflects a philosophy about how the product should be made and an understanding of the people for whom it was created. In many professions, there is a choice between volume and the amount of individual attention that can reasonably be devoted to the work. A physician may build a practice around seeing a very large number of patients, while another may deliberately maintain a substantially smaller practice in order to devote more time to each one. Doctorado follows the latter philosophy. Our measure of success is not how many bottles we can produce, but the standard we can maintain in those we do.

There is a natural connection between that philosophy and the person who chooses Doctorado. A doctorate, and many of life's other significant achievements, represents years devoted to something when a faster or easier path may have been available. The distinction carries meaning because of what was required to earn it: discipline, judgment, patience and an unwillingness to substitute expediency for accomplishment. Those same principles influence how we approach Doctorado and why we have deliberately resisted measuring its success by volume.

Doctorado production is currently limited to approximately 2,000 bottles per year. That number is not intended to manufacture scarcity. It reflects the amount of spirit we believe we can produce while maintaining the degree of involvement, selection and refinement expected of Doctorado.

Our approach was influenced in part by what we encountered while studying the production of agave spirits. There is an established public-facing side of the industry, including professionally produced videos and presentations intended to show consumers how a particular product is made. Having had the opportunity to look beyond those presentations, we found that the day-to-day production taking place behind them did not always resemble what had been presented. The difference was significant enough that it affected the way we chose to develop Doctorado.

Large-scale production understandably depends upon efficiencies, standardization and equipment capable of producing substantial volume with predictable results. Doctorado serves a different clientele and is being developed accordingly. At our present scale, we are able to remain close to the spirit throughout its development and make decisions based upon the individual batch rather than the requirements of a larger production schedule.

This becomes particularly important during blending, resting and maturation. Wood does not influence every spirit identically, nor does every component develop according to an exact timetable. Aroma, texture, integration, oak influence and finish must be considered together. Maintaining a relatively small annual yield allows those decisions to remain matters of judgment rather than production necessity and gives us the latitude to allow the spirit additional time when additional time is what it needs.

The same standard extends to the agave itself. We continue to evaluate and engage with additional agave farms as potential future sources. Thus far, none outside our present source has satisfied the complete set of standards we require. Expanding our supply would certainly make it possible to increase production, but increasing production is not sufficient reason to accept agricultural material we would otherwise reject.

Much of the work surrounding Doctorado continues to be handled, evaluated and fine-tuned by people rather than surrendered to an automated process. At approximately 2,000 bottles per year, we can take that time. As Doctorado develops, we intend to build the relationships, knowledge and capacity necessary to support responsible growth without reducing the character of the product or modifying the process simply to improve profitability.

The result is a genuinely limited annual allocation. Once that allocation has been committed, additional bottles are not produced simply because additional orders have arrived.

Distribution is approached with the same degree of care. We continue to review applications and inquiries from distributors interested in representing Doctorado, but approval is not based solely upon a distributor's willingness or ability to purchase inventory. We look for established, reputable distributors capable of understanding the product, representing it properly and placing it with retailers and establishments appropriate for Doctorado.

For that reason, Doctorado may be difficult to obtain even where there is interest in the product. Certain markets may receive a small allocation while others may receive none. We consider that preferable to placing bottles wherever distribution happens to be available or expanding the network faster than we can properly support it.

Look for Doctorado through leading licensed distributors, premium spirits retailers and establishments recognized for exceptional selections. It belongs wherever accomplished people gather, where important moments are marked and where the spirits offered are expected to reflect the standards of those choosing them.

When selecting a bottle to recognize an achievement, commemorate a milestone, honor someone whose journey deserves recognition, or simply enjoy something chosen with purpose, ask for Doctorado.

Over time, the annual yield may increase as our relationships, experience and production capacity develop. Additional distributors may also become part of that growth. What will not change is the standard required for either to occur. Another agave source must meet our requirements, another distributor must be appropriate for the product, and additional production must be possible without changing the substance of what is being produced.

There may eventually be more Doctorado to allocate. We have no intention of making Doctorado easier to produce merely to make it easier to obtain.

Because the finest shelves are not merely filled.

They are curated.

DOCTORADO

For Those Who Earned It.