In 2007, I married Cristina, she grew up in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. My in-laws have spent their entire lives living in Jalisco. Miguel, my wife’s father, is an agronomist and has raised agaves, avocados, & blueberries in Jalisco and Michoacán.

We spent many years together tasting all kinds of tequilas; at birthday parties, posadas, weddings, & on spontaneous random days. In the early 2000’s, when Cristina and I were dating, I discovered tequila. The 100% Blue Weber Agave tequila.

It was a different experience, sipping a small “Caballito” (small shot glass) of a great tasting tequila. I learned how the old tequileros would put a drop into their hands, rub them together, and smell the aroma of the agave. I learned how to enjoy tequila and the rich history surrounding the area of Jalisco. Most of the time you sip the drink, other times you might enjoy tequila with squirt, as a margarita, coke, or in a cazuela. The better the tequila, the more likely you are not to mix the tequila with anything. It’s similar to whiskey; you have whiskey you mix and whiskey you drink slowly, either neat or with an ice cube. It’s not a rule; it’s just a personal preference.

We began our journey into the tequila business by talking about friends that had their own brand of tequila, a friend that gave us 50 bottles of tequila for our wedding in Guadalajara. We dreamed of creating our own tequila and planting our own fields of agave. Having spent over a decade traveling to Guadalajara and spending time with our family we decided to start thinking about this seriously.

The groundwork began by finding a location for our agaves. Miguel, being an expert, found the field, planted, and has been tending to our precious agaves. The next step was to find a distillery. The search was not only to find a high-quality distiller but to find a place that shared the same values as we do; as a family and as a business.

The search took us a lot longer than we expected. For over a year, Miguel visited nearly 90 distilleries. In early 2016, Miguel was in Arandas at a fair in the central square. El Pandillo had a booth and he got a chance to sample their tequila. He visited El Pandillo the next day and over the next couple of months we had a partnership.

El Pandillo is a multi-generational family business that focuses on the quality of the product from start to finish; they honor traditional ways, hold family and family values close, focus on sustainability, find ways of protecting our environment, and give back to their community.

Volans is owned and managed by Lonnie Allen, Chad Allen, & Cristina Allen. It is our love of Mexico, the culture, the food, the people, and the tequila drives us to bring the best tasting tequila to you. So from our families in Idaho & Jalisco, we welcome you to try Volans Ultra Premium Tequila.