Reserva de la Familia, Jose Cuervo’s ultra-premium collection of artisanal small-batch tequilas, announced its 2023 collector’s box, designed by artists Rolando Flores and Gabriel Cázares of the Mexico-based Tercerunquinto Collective. The piece of custom art, titled “Structuring a Landscape”, features a geometric abstraction of the landscape of tequila, Mexico and will adorn the 2023 limited-release collector’s box of Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo.
Since 1995, Jose Cuervo has worked with internationally recognized artists with roots in Mexico to design the box artwork for Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo. Each box is an authentic collector’s item, with a limited quantity produced annually before a new artist is chosen. Previous artists include Gonzalo Lebrija, Pedro Friedeberg, Carlos Aguirre, Ricardo Pinto and many more. Every artist is selected by a team of art curators including 11th generation Cuervo family member and CEO of Jose Cuervo, Juan Domingo Beckmann, Executive Director of El Museo del Barrio in New York City, Patrick Charpenel and founder of Zona Maco, Mexico’s No. 1 art fair, Zélika García.
The Tercerunquinto Collective were selected as this year’s artist collaborators due to their meticulous art process that involves heavy field research, the company says. To create this year’s box, the Collective first visited Tequila, Mexico ― the birthplace of the iconic spirit and home to Jose Cuervo ― to understand the most recognizable parts of the agave landscape. The artists then abstracted the landscape using geometric patterns, creating a loose interpretation of the colors and shapes that make up the agave fields. The presenting design invokes the brightness of the volcanic obsidian and roughness of the rock from Tequila’s volcano and the gentle texture of the skin of the agave plant in three distinct layers, the company says.
The artwork also pays homage to Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo, the award-winning pinnacle of the Cuervo portfolio. “Reserva de la Familia is the jewel of Jose Cuervo’s brands. It’s the first Extra Añejo tequila in the world,” said Alex Coronado, Jose Cuervo’s Master Distiller, in a statement. “Reserva de la Familia has always been part of the family reserve to celebrate special occasions. When the company celebrated 200 years in 1995, we decided to share it with the world.”
The tequila’s layered, complex taste is the result of an elaborate aging process in new American and French oak barrels using only the most flavorful inner portions of the agave plant, the company says. The result is a tequila with a complex mix of flavors, a rich bouquet and an ultra-smooth finish, it adds.
The artisanal qualities also are present in the tequila’s unique bottle and packaging, all done by hand. The tequila is bottled in hand-blown glass, with each label individually adhered to the bottle before being dipped in wax and embellished with the Cuervo family crest. Every bottle is then hand-signed, numbered and dated ― further demonstrating that every bottle produced as part of this limited release is truly one of a kind.
The 2023 artist-designed box is now available for purchase at specialty retailers throughout the United States or online at Reserve Bar at an SRP of $185.
