From the Highlands of Jalisco to the bottle.
How Yéyo is made.
Yéyo Tequila is produced at Destilería El Ranchito, NOM 1414, in Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico. The Master Distiller is Sergio Cruz. The distillery is operated by the Vivanco family.
The land
Rooted in Vivanco land.
Every bottle of Yéyo begins on land the Vivanco family owns. The family’s agricultural heritage dates back to 1929, and today they farm multiple properties throughout the Highlands of Jalisco, including substantial farmland surrounding the distillery. All of the Blue Weber agave used to make Yéyo comes exclusively from these family-owned farms.
Alongside agave, the family grows corn and beans, rotating crops to help manage soil health.
Growing its own agave gives the family direct oversight and traceability: visibility into the land, cultivation practices, soil conditions and each plant’s development from planting through harvest. Agave is still an agricultural product, and every harvest varies naturally. For Yéyo, it’s about knowing our agave from the ground up.
Three ingredients
Agave, water and yeast.
Yéyo begins with three ingredients: 100% Blue Weber agave, deep-well water and Champagne yeast. After distillation, only water is added to bring the tequila to its intended bottling proof. Nothing else is added during proofing or bottling.
The process
Eight steps. No shortcuts written in.
- 01
The agave
5–6 years
Yéyo is made from 100% Blue Weber agave grown exclusively on Vivanco family-owned farms in the Highlands of Jalisco—known as Los Altos. Yéyo typically uses mature agave approximately 5–6 years old.
Cutting mature Blue Weber agave · Arandas, Jalisco - 02
Cooking
53+ hours
The agave is cooked in traditional brick ovens for more than 53 hours. Slow cooking is part of Yéyo’s deliberate, unhurried production approach.
Agave ready for the brick ovens · NOM 1414, Arandas 
Working the brick ovens · NOM 1414, Arandas - 03
Milling
Roll mill
The cooked agave is processed using a roll mill.
- 04
Fermentation
~190 hours
Yéyo uses an extended fermentation of approximately 190 hours—nearly eight days—with Champagne yeast and deep-well water. Fermentation is deliberately allowed to develop over that extended period. During fermentation, classical music plays at NOM 1414: the Mozart Method, a human ritual that is part of Yéyo. Read about the Mozart Method.
- 05
Agave fibers
~5%
Some Yéyo expressions incorporate agave fibers during fermentation. Yéyo Blanco 96 High Proof uses approximately 5% agave fibers. This step is expression-specific; not every Yéyo tequila is made this way. The fibers come from the same Blue Weber agave.
- 06
Distillation
Copper × 2
Yéyo is double-distilled in copper pot stills at Destilería El Ranchito, NOM 1414, in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. After distillation, only water is added to bring the tequila to its intended bottling proof.
- 07
Resting
~70 days
Yéyo’s Blanco expressions rest before bottling. Yéyo Tequila Blanco (80 proof) and Blanco 96 High Proof rest approximately 70 days. Resting is not barrel aging. Every Yéyo expression begins with a Blanco production lot. Because agave is an agricultural product, each harvest and batch varies naturally; our philosophy is continuous improvement, not reproducing an identical flavor every year.
- 08
The barrel program
Previously used barrels
Barrel aging happens after distillation and is separate from Yéyo’s three production ingredients. Limited editions follow their own distinct barrel-aging and finishing programs. Beyond Blanco, Yéyo matures selected expressions and limited releases in carefully chosen, previously used barrels—among them ex-rum casks from Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, Syrah, Sherry and Port casks, White Port barrels and French Limousin oak that previously held Cognac.Explore the Barrel Library
From Arandas to the bottle
One path, start to finish.
- Agave
- Cooking
- Milling
- Fermentation
- Distillation
- Resting or aging
- Bottling
Every step happens at NOM 1414 in Arandas. Request a distillery visit or explore the tequila.
Quick facts
Yéyo, at a glance.
- Where is Yéyo Tequila made?
- Destilería El Ranchito, NOM 1414, Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico.
- Who makes Yéyo Tequila?
- Yéyo is produced under Master Distiller Sergio Cruz at the Vivanco family's Destilería El Ranchito.
- What NOM is Yéyo?
- NOM 1414.
- What agave does Yéyo use?
- 100% Blue Weber agave.
- Where does Yéyo's agave come from?
- Exclusively from Vivanco family-owned farms in the Highlands of Jalisco.
- Why does family-grown agave matter?
- Direct oversight and traceability: the Vivanco family sees the land, cultivation, soil conditions and each plant's development from planting through harvest.
- What is Yéyo made from?
- 100% Blue Weber agave, deep-well water and Champagne yeast. After distillation, only water is added to reach bottling proof.
- How is the agave cooked?
- Traditional brick ovens for 53+ hours.
- How long does Yéyo ferment?
- Approximately 190 hours.
- How is Yéyo distilled?
- Double-distilled in copper pot stills at Destilería El Ranchito, NOM 1414.
- What makes Yéyo's barcodes different?
- EVERY YÉYO BARCODE IS CUSTOM. Look closely at a Yéyo bottle and you'll notice an image incorporated into the barcode. Why customize something most people never notice? Because we could. It's another small detail where we chose to do things the Yéyo way.