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There′s no doubt that consumer interest in craft spirits is on the rise, and big companies are paying attention. From special releases of back stocks, to single cask editions and cask strength bottlings, limited release spirits with a craft edge are popping up from the most familiar names on the back bar. In many cases these spirits showcase the capability of mass producers to offer top shelf spirits with all the authenticity of their smaller counterparts.

Blue Nectar Tequila was started when Nikhil Bahadur decided to take his tradition of exchanging bottles of high quality tequila with his father to the next level. Before long, through connections of friends and their networks, they found themselves in the valley of Jalisco, Mexico, chatting with their now master distiller Guillermo Garcia Lay.

“My dad and I were gifting bottles of tequila to each other and that led us to meet a tequila aficionado with friends in the business. “We took a trip to Mexico...brought back some juice and what started as a fun project, with the help of some seasoned industry pros, became a business” recalls Bahadur.