Food & Spirits: Unlike many other types of tequila, Partida Tequila is made with a process that adheres strictly to very high standards. The result is a finished product more similar to a fine cognac than your stereotypical tequila blend.

Partida Tequila is an organic, estate grown, 100 percent blue agave spirit from Mexico's Tequila region. The Partida Tequila family of products includes Blanco (not aged), Reposoda (aged six months) and Anejo (aged 18 months). At the highest end of Partida's premium tequila line is Elegante® Extra Añejo Tequila, a tequila that is aged in American oak barrels for no less than 36 months and up to as many as 40.

Elegante made its debut at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic's "Ultimate Agave: Mexico's Ultra Premium Tequilas' seminar led by Steven Olson, one of America's leading spirits experts.

Olson says, "As a passionate tequila consumer, I must say that 'elegant' is not a word that I would normally use to describe the category, but the Partida Elegante® absolutely merits the description."

Partida Elegante retails for $350, which may seem high, but the experts seem to agree that is worth the price.

The Mexican Academy of Tequila Mezcal-Wine Tasters (Academia Mexicana de Catadores del Tequila Vino-Mezcal, A.C.), an organization recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), tasted the Partida extra añejo and awarded it a perfect 20 out of 20 score.

"I would have given the Elegante® 30 out of 20 if I could have," said Jaime Villalobos, founder and member of the Academy, and one of Mexico's foremost tequila tasters. "It's that exceptional."

J. Gary Shansby, chairman and CEO of Partida Tequila explains why Elegante is so exceptional, "We've managed every step of the production process for the Partida Tequila Elegante® with painstaking care. We selected the very best blue agave ─ hand harvested when perfectly ripened with concentrated sugars ─ cooked the piñas in stainless steel autoclaves for an exceptionally clean, pure agave taste and distilled and aged the Elegante® to perfection. We're proud to offer this exceptional extra añejo to America's tequila lovers."

Elegante is captured in bottles that match the exceptional quality of the liqueur inside. Each bottle is gift boxed to include a crystal top for the Elegante® bottle, which can serve as a decanter once the tequila has been enjoyed. The distinctive bottle is hand numbered to ensure the highest quality and Partida's signature sterling silver "spirit bird" is hung from the neck, a gift in itself.

Partida is expanding into the United States and is currently distributed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington, DC and Washington. Partida can also be enjoyed abroad in Australia, Mexico and the United Kingdom.