Reserva de la Familia by Jose Cuervo, the award-winning pinnacle of the Cuervo portfolio, has announced its 2024 collector’s box, designed by celebrated Mexican sculptor, goldsmith, and leatherer Ana Pellicer. The custom-designed artwork, titled “Insatiable Transparencies of a Historic Landscape,” brings to life the iconic landscape of Tequila, Mexico, and will adorn the limited-release collector’s box of the portfolio’s crown jewel: Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo.

A legacy that spans nearly three decades, the Jose Cuervo collaboration with globally celebrated Mexico-based artisans has resulted in nearly thirty uniquely crafted limited-edition Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo collector’s boxes. Past collaborations include talents such as Rolando Flores and Gabriel Cázares from the Mexico-based Tercerunquinto Collective, Gonzalo Lebrija, Pedro Friedeberg, Carlos Aguirre, Ricardo Pinto, and many others. Each artist is handpicked by a team of art curators, including Juan Domingo Beckmann, the 11th-generation Cuervo family member and CEO of Jose Cuervo, Patrick Charpenel, the Executive Director of El Museo del Barrio in New York City, and Zélika García, the founder of Zona Maco, Mexico’s foremost art fair.

Ana Pellicer’s distinguished artistic legacy and unique design methods made her a natural choice as this year’s artistic visionary. Pellicer’s work is celebrated globally and has been featured in some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions, including the esteemed New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the sculpture garden of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City.“I’ve long admired the craftsmanship, philosophy, and, of course, the quality of Reserva de la Familia, but what I’ve found most special about this precious tequila is how it embodies familial strength,” said Pellicer. “To be selected as the designer for this year’s collector’s box is a tremendous honor, and I am proud to create artwork that represents the colors, shapes, and tone of one of Mexico’s most iconic landscapes for one of the world’s most celebrated tequilas.”

To create this year’s design, Pellicer utilized an artistic technique called “tempera,” an ancient medium that involves painting with pigments bound in a water-soluble emulsion to create a satin sheen finish with rich tones and color depth. The result is a design that features the burnished reds and shining ochres of copper present in the landscape of Tequila, Mexico. The very same color themes are evocative of Pellicer’s celebrated sculptural work. “Insatiable Transparencies of a Historic Landscape” stands as a testament to Pellicer’s interpretation of the birthplace of tequila, serving as a captivating reflection of one of Mexico’s most celebrated cultural pillars.

Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo is the award-winning pinnacle of the Cuervo portfolio and every step in creating this exceptional tequila is done with meticulous care, following an artisanal process handed down over generations. Only the most flavorful inner portions, or piñas, of six- to nine-year-old agaves are used when crafting Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo. These piñas are then cooked in the original brick ovens at Latin America’s oldest operational distillery, La Rojeña, before the liquid is double distilled in copper pot stills, preserving all the characteristics and elements obtained in the fermentation process.

The tequila then undergoes an elaborate aging process in a combination of small, new American and French oak barrels, producing a tequila with a complex mix of flavors, a rich bouquet, and an ultra-smooth finish, specifically:

• Color: A dark amber hue
• Aroma: Oak, almonds, dark chocolate, and cinnamon
• Flavor: Rich oak, toasted almonds, vanilla, and cinnamon
• Finish: Long and silky

Even the bottling and packing process for Reserva de la Familia is done by hand. The tequila is bottled in hand-blown glass, with each label individually adhered before the bottle is dipped in wax, embellished with the Cuervo family crest, and hand-signed, numbered, and dated – demonstrating that each bottle part of this limited release is truly one of a kind.

The 2024 collector’s box designed by Ana Pellicer will begin to arrive on retailer shelves at select fine liquor stores, restaurants, and bars this year for a suggested retail price of $190.00. Tequila enthusiasts may also uncover previous annual releases on store shelves. This delightful discovery heralds a new opportunity to add more limited-edition designs from Reserva de la Familia to an aficionado’s collection. To learn more about Reserva de la Familia, please visit www.cuervo.com/reserva-de-la-familia.