This year, Mexico and Jalisco in particular, became the stage for the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB), one of the most respected competitions in the world of spirits.

Over a hundred judges from across the globe gathered for three days of tasting, exploring around forty samples each day. Every table included at least one Mexican taster, ensuring that each sip carried not only flavor, but also the stories and context of our land.

For the first time, the spotlight extended beyond tequila. Raicilla stepped forward, with its coastal and mountain expressions introduced as their own category. A spirit once known only within its region was now set before the world.

This gathering was made possible by collaboration: the State Tourism Secretariat, the Mexican Council for the Promotion of Raicilla, the municipality of Atenguillo, the government of Guadalajara, and Taberna Tres Gallos as host.

A welcome rooted in tradition

On Thursday, September 11, the doors of Luis Fernández’s hacienda opened to welcome the judges. The day unfolded as a journey:

• Tours through the hacienda, cheese factory, taverns, and agave fields, where history met landscape and culture.
• A reception alive with mariachi music and a taquiza that brought flavors straight from the region.
• Twenty-five raicilla producers sharing their craft, each brand poured by the very hands that shaped it.

Each guest began with a traditional raicilla welcome drink, then moved from bar to bar, discovering the diversity of this spirit through those who know it best.

Impressions that linger

For many of the judges, especially the French and Belgian tasters, well-versed in wines, the experience was more than technical. It was cultural. It was human.

They spoke of the power of stepping into a hacienda with nearly four centuries of history, of feeling authenticity in contrast to the more industrialized settings of the big tequila houses.

And when it came to raicilla, their words were clear: a hidden gem of Mexico. They praised its expressive nature and the way it bridges worlds:

• The clean, structured elegance of tequila.
• The rustic complexity of mezcal, shaped by diverse agaves and traditional processes.

Beyond competition

The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Jalisco was more than an international showcase. It was a chance to reveal the depth of Mexico’s identity: its traditions, its hospitality, its ability to weave memory and flavor into one experience.

Raicilla, long overlooked outside of Mexico, captivated expert palates and earned its place as a spirit with its own voice and future. From the mountains and coasts of Jalisco to the tables of the world, its journey has only just begun.