“We have no constraints. We have no family tradition.”
Miguel Ortiz has purposely positioned House of Rare as an exception in the tequila industry. Their HQ is based in Mexico City, and while they offer an exceptional blanco, they focus on barrel aging their spirits. And, as a young brand, they’re already in the midst of a huge property upgrade that will age tequila in a very modern architectural space. I’d say it’s almost Macallan-like, which tracks, considering Ortiz has a real passion for the Scotch industry.
Even the way they’re funded is unique. Part of the brand’s launch can be credited to working with Alts.co, an alternative investment platform for “esoteric assets.”
“We started as a tequila aging company,” Ortiz told me during his recent visit to New York, where I tasted through a batch of House of Rare releases. “The tequila industry as a whole doesn’t take that much care with the maturation process. Even the big distilleries are not putting that much attention on their añejos program.”
Having spent a few years in London, Ortiz became a massive fan of whisky and Scotch. Using the approach of unique barrel aging and his own tequila industry contacts, the entrepreneur started a program of sourcing exotic barrels from around the world and working with various tequila distilleries to mature and sell reposados and añejos as limited, premium-priced releases (that program is now called Rare Cask).
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Unusual fermentation and barrel aging (and some unique bottle designs) highlight these standout agave spiritsAlong the way, he stumbled into making tequila. “There was a distillery for sale,” Ortiz says. “This doctor built it and realized it’s not an easy business to run. We acquired it and developed House of Rare as a solo brand being produced at the distillery.” Located in El Arenal, Jalisco, NOM 1648 (aka Herencia De Agaves) now produces two core expressions (Blanco and Reposado) and two collector releases (Founder’s Cut and RAREcask Genesis PX). Early results have been positive: In 2025, their tequilas were awarded Double Gold, Best of Category and Tequila of the Year by the American Distilling Institute.
They’ve also started expanding the property, with Miami-based architect Ted Givens creating an in-the-works visitor center and aging warehouses that blend in with the surrounding environment. “It’s a state-of-the-art aging facility,” Ortiz says. “We have [former] PX sherry, Calvados, Buffalo Trace and Laphroaig barrels and some exotic stuff. We have three different rickhouses, and in a few years, we’ll have a below-ground aging cellar where we can put luxury rooms or an art gallery on top — whatever we want.”
But all the limited editions, luxury packaging and grand plans for the future don’t mean a lot if the liquid isn’t good. Thankfully, this is interesting, unique and, at its best, exceptional tequila. The Genesis release showcases Ortiz’s fascination with Scotch, adding a lovely sherry-cask finish to the agave. And the blancos truly shine. I found notes of ripe green apple, fresh cut grass and even a bit of mint. Credit the distillery’s open-air fermentation and proximity to a forest full of eucalyptus.
For now, House of Rare has been making its mark through a bit of clever marketing. “We rely on word of mouth,” Ortiz says. “Influencers love us, but we haven’t paid anyone. And we’ve had collaborations with well-known brands.”
While it’s a niche, luxury brand, I credit House of Rare for experimenting with barrel maturation while also embracing the current marketing landscape. And some of the stuff in the planning stages sounds cool, including a mixto blend that upends the idea that a 51% agave-based tequila has to be filled out by cheap, non-agave sugars.
The brand may or may not succeed. For now, the premium and super-premium segment of the agave market is on the upswing, but we’ve seen a lot of fluctuation in the booze world. That said, a little non-traditional thinking can be a relief in a market that sees a new brand launched pretty much every other day. At least House of Rare offers a unique perspective. “You’re never going to see me riding a horse with a hat,” says Ortiz, good-naturedly. “We’re a Mexico City brand that takes aging tequila passionately.”
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