Story | Connie Li Photography | Villa One Tequila
“It’s incredible. It’s drinkable. It’s perfectly fine neat, or on the rocks, and it makes a perfect cocktail.”
That’s the assessment of The Daily Meal, a New York-based food and drink website, after sampling Villa One Tequila—the brainchild of well-known musician Nick Jonas and fashion designer John Varvatos, in consultation with one of the world’s leading premium spirits organizations, Stoli Group.
Although from different creative worlds and different generations, Jonas(a member of the successful Jonas Brothers band) and Varvatos (a three-time Council of Fashion Designers of America award winner), share a love for hand-crafted tequila.
During a trip to Mexico in 2018 with family and friends, the pair was inspired to embark on a new adventure and launch their own tequila brand. In the spirit (pardon the pun) of the property where they were staying, the idea quickly turned into a tangible venture with a name: Villa One.
VILLA ONE SILVER TEQUILA 40% ABV
• Appearance: Clear with silver shades
• Nose: Fruit aromas with sweet cooked agave on the nose
• Flavour: Dried fruit and wood-toasted nuts that meanders into a caramelized agave
• Finish: Long and smooth
• No aging
• Suggested serve: Margarita or neat
Villa One is hand-crafted at Fabrica de Tequilas Finos in Jalisco, Mexico, distilled from 100 per cent agave azul tequilana harvested after five to seven years from both the lowland and highland regions of Jalisco. Water drawn from the artesian well on the property, and a double-pot distillation process, gives Villa One a unique character and a distinctively smooth finish.
VILLA ONE ANEJO TEQUILA 40% ABV
• Appearance: Dark amber
• Nose: Rich caramel and wood, with notes of vanilla wafer, banana and nuts
• Flavour: Full bodied with noticeable wood notes
• Finish: Rich and lasting finish with notes of smoke, dark chocolate and honey
• Aged 12 months in American oak barrels
• Suggested serve: Neat or on the rocks with an orange twist
Villa One is milled, mashed, fermented, distilled and aged by master distiller Arturo Fuentes, affectionately referred to as “the godfather of tequila.” Fuentes has been hand-crafting traditional tequilas for more than three decades.
In the process of making Villa One, the pina, or core of the agave plant, is cut into two or four equal parts and then shredded by a roller mill. The agave is dispatched to the autoclave to cook for 10 hours, causing a transformation of sugars. The juice is separated from the agave fibres by presses, and the proprietary yeast is added. The fermentation lasts up to 72 hours before the liquid is distilled.
VILLA ONE REPOSADO TEQUILA 40% ABV
• Appearance: Light gold
• Nose: Bronze aromas with caramel and candy
• Flavour: Full and balanced with butterscotch, chocolate, prune and smoke essences
• Finish: Light finish with notes of coffee, caramel and mellowed spice
• Aged 6 months in American oak barrels
• Suggested serve: JV X NJ signature Villa One Repo on the rocks with an orange wedge
Moreover, unlike other celebrity liquors, Jonas and Varvatos are involved in every aspect of the brand and take part in the decision-making process every step of the way. The bottle itself was designed by them with each expression featuring fine jewellery-inspired metalwork around the neck that represents the signature style of the Varvatos brand.
