Last year, I had my first taste of bacanora when Gunther Maier poured me a glass of Santa Cuviso. I proclaimed the agave-based spirit a winner.

This year, the judges at the American Distilling Institute had their first taste of Santa Cuviso and they made the same proclamation, recognizing the brand with eleven different medals at their annual Judging of Craft Spirits.

Gunther, along with Gerardo Schwartz and Frank Guercio, make up the three partners in Los TresAmigos, the company that owns the Santa Cuviso brand, and though the agave is grown and distilled in Sonora, all three partners are residents of San Miguel de Allende.

Santa Cuviso Bacanora Blanco, the partnership’s premier offering was awarded five prizes, a gold medal, best of class and best of category for a merchant bottled spirit along with a gold medal for excellence in packaging and a bronze for brand identity. You can discover a little more about Bacanora Blanco from what I wrote last year just before the San Miguel launch party for the brand at http://dondayinsma.com/2018/10/18/santo-cuviso-turning-saints-sinners-since-1756/

Santa Cuviso Anis-Flavored Bacanora won three medals including a best of category and a double gold.

The third spirit in the Santa Cuviso line, flavored with uvulama, a berry from a tree related to the grape that is cultivated in Northern Mexico, also received three medals including a gold.

There were more than 850 entries from 260 companies in the 2019 competition. Los TresAmigos was one of only three distillers to receive three gold medals following the blind tasting by the judges.

“You can imagine how thrilled we were to get the news of how Santo Cuviso fared in the ADI judging!”, said Frank Guercio. “Needless to say, it’s bound to be a major boon to our marketing and sales efforts.

If you haven’t tried Santa Cuviso yet, you’ll have an opportunity on July 16. Los TresAmigos is a sponsor of Audubon de Mexico’s Summer Harvest Feast. The event will feature wood fired cooking by four of San Miguel’s most celebrated chefs, Donnie Masterton, Greta Ortega, JJ Casteñeda and Mariano Alvarez. For full details, simply email audubondemexico@gmail.com.