Volans is the brainchild and passion project of Cristina and Chad Allen.  Chad, an Idaho native, married Cristina, whose family is from Jalisco,  in 2007.  Sharing a mutual love for agave spirits they decided together to embark on their dream: to produce and market their own, premium tequila. Of course, that meant enlisting friends and family in the process, a tradition that not only continues but is essential to their success.

Cristina’s father Miguel is an agronomist who raises agaves, avocados, & blueberries in Jalisco and Michoacán. It was Miguel who found the field, planted it, and who continues to tend their precious agaves.  Finding a distillery was trickier. The search was not only to find a high-quality distiller but to find a place that shared the same values. Miguel was in Arandas at a fair in the central square when he got a chance to sample the tequilas from the well known and highly regarded El Pandillo distillery.  He visited them the next day and over the next couple of months a partnership developed.

The distillery in Jesus Maria, is run by Master Distiller Felipe Camarena, of the Camarena family of tequila makers. Felipe began construction of El Pandillo in 2007 after spending most of his life working at the family distillery “La Alteña” in Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico. He created and designed his new distillery to be efficient and sustainable while keeping with long held traditions to the process of making tequila.

Felipe is also trained as a civil engineer. His innovative designs for the production of his tequilas are unique to the tequila industry. The ovens were built with steam jets placed both at the bottom and top of the oven, ensuring that the agaves cook evenly. They slow-cook their fully mature Blue Agave for 22 hours at 94 degrees, then let them cool for another 24-36 hours.

Felipe calls his shredder “Igor,”.  It is hand built and designed to use special steel blades to grind up large, cooked agaves quickly.  It is gravity fed and uses a measly 15-horsepower electric motor to drive it. His mechanical tahona was made from spare parts found in a junkyard. A steam roller wheel with bolts soldered to it and powered by a small electric motor, does the work traditionally done by a mule or tractor.

He created warming tanks for his musto (fermented agave juice) by using the heat coming off the top of the copper pot stills. The Musto ferments for five days --even going as far as insulating his copper stills to retain heat so he uses less energy.  The water used in fermentation and distillation of agave has an impact on the flavor profile of tequila, so the roof of the distillery is a rainwater collection system, leading to a 200,000 liter underground storage tank. They also source their water from a natural spring and deep well right on the property.

Volans has quickly gained a reputation for quality. Their tequilas are now  highly sought after and in great demand. And the reasons are clear, uncompromising, and dedicated to tradition and innovation. Cristina and Chad’s dream is now available for the world to experience and taste and enjoy.

Please reach out to your Bowler rep and sample these extraordinary offerings, Salud!