Cigar Aficionado Magazine

Carlos Santana Part Owner in Casa Noble Tequila

Jack Bettridge

Guitar god Carlos Santana has joined Casa Noble Tequila as a part owner in the brand and a member of its board of directors. The move came as a result of the musician's professed interest in aligning himself with the spirit of Mexico, the country of his birth.

Jose Hermosillo, chairman and CEO of Casa Noble, said Santana's representatives sought out the brand as a possible candidate, and they met in January for an extensive tour of the Jalisco, Mexico, distillery, after which they agreed in principle to Santana's participation.

Hermosillo said, "We shook hands after the meeting and hugged it out, but of course the lawyers had a lot of work to do" to cement the deal, which was announced this week. The Tequila maker said that Santana was "very passionate and caring about the process and wanted to meet with the workers and spent a lot of time at the distillery" before arriving at the choice of Casa Noble as a brand to which he would affix his stamp.

The guitarist, whose style is a mix of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa, and African rhythms, was born in Jalisco, the Mexican state from which all spirits legally called Tequila arises. He later moved to Tijuana and later San Francisco.  Santana has said about the partnership: "We have come together because I love the Tequila. Passion, dedication and integrity is what attracted me to Casa Noble Tequila. I feel at home with my new family at Casa Noble. They strive for excellence and don't take shortcuts. Just like the music of Santana, one note or one drop...they are the same thing. You have to feel each note from your heart."

The CEO said that while in Jalisco, Santana, whose father is a Huichol Indian, traced his roots to 17th century Jalisco, when Tequila was born there.

Santana's involvement with the company, which handcrafts single-estate organic tequilas in the crystal, reposado, and añejo styles, will be low-key at first, according to Hermosillo. They will begin with industry promotions and plan to continue commercial endorsements of the product. A video featuring the musician at the distillery has already been produced.

Santana added: "Together we celebrate the gift of life and all of the blessing that come with it. Together we can all make a difference in the world."