Davo is grown, distilled and bottled at Hacienda Capellanía, NOM 1545, in San José de Gracia in the Altos Sur highlands of Jalisco. The Contreras family owns the land and runs the distillery. The Dávalos brothers, master distillers, create the unique Davo flavor expressions during the open-air fermentation process, then distill in stainless pot stills — one fitted with a copper coil.
The Hacienda is home to three hundred acres of agave surrounded by citrus, avocado, apple, peach, and guava groves. Fruit orchards are also adjacent to the distillery to foster the wild yeast needed for natural open fermentation. One family, one property, and one team — the agave is harvested, cooked, fermented and bottled without ever leaving the estate.
How it is made
Five steps, one property.
01
Harvest
Estate-grown blue Weber agave, cut by hand by jimadores using the traditional coa, in the field where it was planted.
02
Cook
The piñas cook for hours in a high-pressure autoclave and come out intensely sweet. Then the roller mill presses the juice. Pure water from the Hacienda’s deep well is added during this step.
03
Ferment
Stainless steel chambers are filled with the 100% agave and water juice mix. It’s kept uncovered; open to the outdoor air that flows across the adjacent fruit orchards and directly into the distillery’s open door. Wild yeast from the surrounding groves drives the fermentation, joined by the Dávalos brothers’ proprietary culture of natural and wild endemic yeast.
04
Rest
American White Oak barrels: 8 months for the Reposado, 12 to 15 for the Almond Añejo, 4 years and 7 months for the Extra Añejo.
05
Bottle
Bottled, labeled and boxed on site, in small batches, just 10 minutes from the agave fields and fruit orchards.
Hacienda Capellanía · San José de Gracia, JaliscoThe estate
On file.
EstateHacienda Capellanía · San José de Gracia
FamilyContreras · distillery built 2003
NOM1545
AgaveEstate-grown blue Weber · 300 acres surrounded by fruit orchards
FermentationOpen air · stainless tanks · 100% agave
StillsStainless pot · one copper coil
WaterDeep well, 180 m · routinely monitored for purity
YeastWild yeast from the orchards · the Dávalos brothers’ proprietary culture
Filled on site · Hacienda Capellanía
An añejo with almonds in the barrel.
First, the Añejo with Natural Almond is aged twelve to fifteen months in American White Oak. Then sliced, toasted almonds are macerated in the Añejo for three to twelve months more. This step creates the almond signature flavor expression.
It’s 100% agave with all-natural almond flavor, and it carries the same 40% ALC/VOL as every other Davo expression, so the almond arrives on a full-strength aged añejo — a delicious almond and citric opening, then an oily, silky sweet agave, tobacco and cacao finish.
