Among Clase Azul’s tequilas, Ultra is the creation that demands the most time.

Clase Azul Tequila Ultra is an Extra Añejo tequila matured for five years — well beyond the minimum required for the category — and its ageing is divided across several different cask styles.

It begins in American whiskey casks. The tequila is then separated into casks that previously held three different styles of sherry — Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez — before the components are brought back together.

What “Extra Añejo” means — and why five years matters

Extra Añejo is Mexico’s longest standard ageing classification for tequila. Under the official tequila regulations, it must spend at least three years in oak or holm-oak vessels of no more than 600 litres.

Clase Azul Ultra is matured for five years. Clase Azul describes it as its most time-intensive creation, making time itself one of the defining elements of the spirit.

The distinction is not simply the number of years. What makes the maturation especially unusual is the sequence of casks used during that period.

From American whiskey casks to three styles of sherry cask

The tequila first matures in American whiskey casks. It is then divided among casks that previously held Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry, before the matured components are recombined.

For readers less familiar with sherry: Amontillado and Oloroso are dry, oxidative styles from Spain, while Pedro Ximénez is a rich sweet sherry associated with concentrated dried-fruit flavours. These names refer to the wines that previously occupied the casks, not ingredients added to the tequila.

The result is a tequila whose official aroma profile includes sherry, dried plum, raisin, ripe apricot, brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, cacao and pronounced oak.

Dried plum, cacao and spice, with a long walnut finish

Clase Azul describes the colour as brown with copper highlights and the body as full.

On the nose are sherry, dried plum, raisin, ripe apricot, brown sugar, clove, cinnamon, cacao and an intense oak character.

The palate brings dried plum, cinnamon, cacao and clove, followed by touches of tobacco. The finish is long, with dried plum and caramelised walnut.

It is a profile built not only around sweetness, but also around spice, cacao and the weight of extended oak maturation.

Platinum brushstrokes the artisan cannot see until firing

The decanter is as technically demanding as the tequila inside it.

Its black ceramic surface is decorated with platinum, silver and 24-karat gold. The feather-like platinum motif is entrusted only to Clase Azul’s most skilled artisans.

They paint the design entirely from memory because the platinum brushstrokes do not become visible until the ceramic has been fired. In other words, the artisan cannot see the final pattern while painting it.

That detail changes how the decanter is understood: the decoration is not simply applied ornament, but a process that depends on memory, control and trust in the firing itself.

Where time and craft meet

Five years of maturation. American whiskey casks followed by three different sherry-cask styles. A black ceramic decanter finished with platinum, silver and 24-karat gold.

Clase Azul Ultra brings together two kinds of time: the years required to mature the tequila and the patient handwork required to complete its vessel.

Available at IMAMI

IMAMI is a specialist retailer of wine, whisky, sake and other fine spirits, together with Japanese drinking vessels including Edo Kiriko glassware. We introduce each bottle and piece with attention to the craftsmanship, history and culture behind it.

For in-store product availability, please enquire at IMAMI Ginza or IMAMI Shinsaibashi, or contact us.

Product selection and availability vary by store.

New arrivals are announced on our official Instagram @imami__japan and in our NEWS archive.