How Alto Canto Is Redefining Craft Tequila

Photo Credit: Alto Canto When Daday Suarez, CEO and founder of Alto Canto, first set out to create his brand, he wasn’t a third-generation distiller or a Jalisco-born agave farmer. He was a Mexico City-based entrepreneur with a background in human resources and a burgeoning passion for wine.

“About a decade ago, I studied a certification for sommelier,” Suarez shares. “I was a little bit more into wine than tequila at the time. But that certification led to developing my nose, my palate, my approach. It sparked this love for food and wine.”

A few years later, as he began exploring new business ventures, Suarez discovered a small Mexican tequila brand that intrigued him. Though the acquisition didn’t ultimately happen, the process ignited a deeper fascination with tequila making. “Those months that we were in contact about the brand, the process, the land—everything—I fell in love with the tequila industry,” he says. “Because of my background as a sommelier, it was really easy for me to identify good tequilas from bad tequilas, to understand how different process choices shape the profile.”

Rather than rely on family heritage, Suarez used his headhunting skills to assemble a team—most notably master distiller Juan Regis, the “technician and magician” behind Alto Canto’s process. “Between the ideas I had as a sommelier and the technique, chemistry, and craft that he brought, we developed this tequila,” Suarez explains. “Mainly, it was a passion project—something that didn’t feel like work. Something fun, challenging, Mexican. Something my sons could fall in love with.”

Though his three sons are still charting their own paths—one pursuing medicine, another economics and math—Suarez hopes the project inspires them through example. “It’s more about showing them how well we can do things when we take care, when we are interested, when we want to leave some kind of legacy.”

Photo Credit: Alto Canto 

So why tequila? “Because, like wine, you have a plant whose sugars are turned into alcohol. It’s an agricultural process, a chemical process, a technical process. It has history, Mexican tradition, legends, and incredible craft involved.”

Craft Over Speed: The Alto Canto Method

“When I first entered the industry, I noticed there are a lot of tequilas on the market—but only a handful are still made the ancestral way,” says Suarez. His goal was simple: to make the best possible tequila by starting with USDA organic certified agaves and using an old-school craft process.

“For me, it was very important that Alto Canto has a big nose and a soft, balanced palate,” he explains. “Not smooth because you want a bland tequila—but because everything is integrated correctly.”

The process begins with slow cooking—in 10-ton ovens (tiny compared to the industry standard of 50-100 tons), for 72 hours at low temperature. “It’s like doing a brisket,” Suarez laughs. “The next day it’s melting off the bone. That’s what we want with the agave—sweetness without burning it.”

Photo Credit: Alto Canto Tequila

Next, the cooked agave is crushed using a traditional volcanic stone tahona, which brings minerality without extracting harsh flavors. Fermentation follows—without any industrial yeasts, relying instead on ambient wild yeasts from the surrounding ecosystem. “It takes 8 to 10 days. The industry usually does it in 3.”

Finally, distillation happens in copper pot stills with fibers included, at low temperature. The result? “A big nose, big flavors, big sweetness—and a very smooth palate compared to other tequilas.”

Notably, Alto Canto avoids toxic alcohols and additives. “We don’t put any chemicals whatsoever—just agave and water. It’s the healthiest tequila, absolutely,” Suarez emphasizes.

“Sustainability is very important to me,” says Suarez. “I want people to drink Alto Canto and feel good—not have a burn or upset stomach.” The distillery uses 10 to 11 kg of agave per liter of tequila—40-50% more than industrial brands. “We treat the plants with respect,” he adds.

Post-production, the team repurposes spent fibers and mineral-rich water as natural fertilizer for nearby avocado and berry farmers. “We want to be a zero-waste tequila company.”

Photo Credit: Alto Canto Tequila

The Power of Place: 9,000 Feet Up

Alto Canto is made at the highest tequila distillery in the world—9,000 feet up in the Sierra del Tigre mountains of Jalisco. Suarez spent a year working with the government to find suitable land at altitude.

Why so high? “At that altitude, everything—cooking, fermentation, distillation—happens at lower temperatures due to atmospheric pressure,” he explains. “It changes the behavior of the process and the final profile.”

Water comes from pure mountain springs. Surrounding the distillery, they’ve planted fruit trees and lavender to cultivate diverse wild yeasts. “We built a microbiological ecosystem,” Suarez says. “Our goal is to make the best tequila possible with as little human intervention as possible.”

Photo Credit: Alto Canto

The Expressions

At its heart, every tequila begins as a Blanco—“the backbone of tequila,” Suarez explains. Alto Canto offers three main expressions:

• High Proof (Blue Label): At 48% ABV (96 proof), this expression is straight from the copper stills with no dilution. “It’s citrusy, mineral, creamy—our crown jewel. It’s won gold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition and many other awards.”
• Blanco: The same high proof tequila diluted to 40% ABV. “It brings more sweetness—lime, pomelo, thyme, citrusy notes.”
• Reposado: The Blanco aged in new American oak barrels (required to maintain USDA organic certification). “It’s the sweetest of the three—vanilla, honey, cherry, cinnamon. Excellent neat or in cocktails.”

Photo Credit: Alto Canto

Even the bottle reflects the philosophy: “We designed it to represent the Sierra del Tigre,” Suarez says. “It’s won multiple design awards. We want everything—the liquid, the packaging, the story—to reflect the process and purity of the brand.”

Notably, Alto Canto launched not in Mexico, but in the U.S.—the largest and most discerning tequila market in the world. “In Mexico, big competitors make it hard for small brands,” Suarez explains. “Seven of every ten liters of tequila sold globally are sold in the U.S.” And American consumers increasingly appreciate artisanal, sustainable spirits.

Currently, Alto Canto is available in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, California, Kentucky, Indiana, and online via SIP Tequila. But the focus isn’t rapid scaling. “I’m doing it face-to-face—tastings, master classes, dinners. That’s how we’re building awareness.”

Photo Credit: Alto Canto

What’s Next

More expressions including Añejo are on the way, along with creative liqueurs like tequila-based coffee liqueur, but for now, the focus is on grounding consumers in the core profile of Alto Canto. “I don’t think we’ve produced our best batch yet,” says Suarez. “We’re still improving. But each time I do a tasting, a presentation, and see people recognize the notes—caramel, citrus, hay—it’s so rewarding.”

Each batch of Alto Canto is transparently documented online—because each batch, like fine wine, varies with the seasons and natural process. “We like that,” Suarez says. “It’s like vintages in wine.”

For Suarez, the journey is about more than awards (though there have been many). “It’s about sharing my vision. When I see someone post, ‘I just bought Alto Canto—it’s amazing’—that’s my best gift.”

Looking Ahead

The immediate challenge? Building brand awareness. “It’s a huge market. Right now, I’m focused on these eight states. Later, we’ll grow,” Suarez says.

And his guiding philosophy? “Being honest, ethical, and present in every moment. Each step, each conversation, done the best way possible. Alto Canto is a big part of me now—but not my whole life. It’s about doing everything with integrity.”

As for the name Alto Canto? It holds layered meaning. “It means ‘high song’—like hitting a high note in opera,” Suarez explains. “It also speaks to our altitude—9,000 feet—and the pure, natural song of the mountain itself.”

With each slow-crafted bottle, Daday Suarez and his team at Alto Canto are indeed giving the world a new high note in tequila.

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