Spirits of Mexico | North America’s Largest Tequila Festival Invades Old Town San Diego Sept. 9 – 16

September 1, 2012

The Spirits of Mexico Festival will showcase hundreds of the world’s finest, rarest and most expensive agave spirits when it returns to Old Town San Diego Sept. 9th through 16th.  Celebrating its ninth year, the Spirits of Mexico Festival has grown to become the largest and most prestigious tasting event for agave spirits in North America.  This year will include tasting exhibitions, live music, educational seminars led by master distillers, the 2012 Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition, awards dinner and live auction, and bus tour.

“Guests will have the valuable opportunity to sample a generous range of tequilas and other Mexican spirits, from the most well-known brands to smaller independent bottlers, all under one roof,” said Dori Bryant, executive director and festival founder.  “The festival will continue to focus on education, while providing tons of entertainment, and will be enlightening for tequila novices and experts alike.”

The 2012 Spirits of Mexico Festival schedule is as follows:

• Sept. 9 – Tequila Trail – Trailblazers will sample select tequilas, mezcals, sotols, bacanoras and other Mexican spirits, as well as savor culinary specialties from 12 of Old Town’s celebrated eateries from 3 to 6 p.m.

• Sept. 10 and 11 – 2012 Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition – A panel of internationally recognized industry experts will select the spirit brands who will take home the coveted ‘Best of’ gold, silver and bronze medals.  New to the competition will be a category for creativity in package design.

• Sept. 14 – Tasting Reception and Awards Dinner – Agave lovers will discover and savor a wide variety of agave spirits that pair well with a specially designed, agave-infused dinner created by Executive Chef Jose Pulido of Barra Barra Saloon.  The awards ceremony, held in the Fiesta de Reyes courtyard, will reveal the winners of the 2012 Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition and Windy City Live’s Emmy award-winning comedic host Mark DeCarlo will host a live auction benefitting the Sky Ranch Foundation.  From 6 to 10 p.m.

• Sept. 15 – Main Event -- Master distillers, industry experts and brand ambassadors will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. in McCoy Garden Courtyard, 4016 Wallace St., for the festival’s grand finale, which will center on educating agave aficionados through tastings and seminars about the history and culture of their spirits, current trends and appropriate tasting techniques.

• Sept. 16 – Bus Tour – Fellow tequila aficionados will travel to Puerto Nuevo, Baja California, to partake in a traditional Baja lobster lunch.

The Spirits of Mexico Festival is presented by IWSC Group, a leader in organizing wine and spirit competitions around the globe, and has been noted as ‘one of four festivals not to miss’ by ‘O,’ the Oprah Magazine.

For more information, visit www.thespiritsofmexico.com, and for real time updates be sure to follow Spirits of Mexico on Facebook and Twitter. To purchase tickets, visit www.thespiritsofmexico.com/purchasetickets .