Casa Maestri is a family-run tequila distillery in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, founded in 2008 by Celia V. Maestri and Michael Maestri. It operates as Destiladora del Valle de Tequila under NOM 1438, makes its own Casa Maestri and Reserva MFM tequilas from blanco to extra añejo, plus tequila cream and coffee liqueurs, and produces tequila for many other brands. Celia Maestri leads it as CEO, and the company says about 90 percent of its workforce are women.
At a glance
- Founded: 2008, by Celia V. Maestri and Michael Maestri.
- Where: Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico.
- Distillery: Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, NOM 1438.
- Agave: blue Weber agave from the company's fields in San Julián, in the Jalisco highlands.
- Known for: the Reserva MFM tequilas, flask-shaped bottles, and tequila cream liqueurs.
- In the US: national distribution through Breakthru Beverage Group since 2024.
Two distilling families
Casa Maestri's story starts with two families in the drinks business on either side of the border. According to the company's history, in 1951 José and Celia Villanueva moved from Santa Inés, Michoacán, to Córdoba, Veracruz, and founded Licores Veracruz. In California, the Maestri family ran Frank-Lin Distillers in San José. The brand dates that company to 1965; other accounts give 1966.
Celia, from the Villanueva side, and Michael Maestri brought those two backgrounds together. In 2008 they left Houston, Texas, for the town of Tequila and set up their own distillery there, Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, which now goes by Casa Maestri. The company describes its Reserva MFM tequilas as a tribute to that journey.
A woman-led distillery
Celia Maestri runs the company as CEO, and in a 2025 Beverage Industry cover story the company described itself as woman-owned, with about 90 percent of its workforce women. That's unusual in an industry where the distilleries, and the people running them, have historically been mostly men. She also hosts a podcast about the trade, Behind the Bottle: Tequila Tales by Celia Maestri.
The distillery behind other labels
Much of what Casa Maestri makes doesn't carry the Casa Maestri name. Like many tequila distilleries, it produces tequila for other brands, and on a large scale: the distillery, which calls itself Mexico's most awarded distillery, has made tequila for more than 300 brands, sold in dozens of countries. It has also bought brands of its own: Santera Tequila in January 2023 and Bellagave, an infused tequila already made at NOM 1438, the same year.
That's what the NOM number on a tequila label tells you. Every tequila carries the NOM of the distillery that made it, and many brands can share one. If you see NOM 1438 on a bottle, it came from Casa Maestri's distillery, whatever the name on the front.
The same service is open to anyone who wants a tequila of their own. Casa Maestri describes it in three steps: choose the tequila (any style from blanco to extra añejo, cristalino or mixto, with a tasting to develop the recipe to your taste), choose the bottle and closure, and set the budget. The distillery says it also handles what Mexico requires along the way, including brand registration and label approval by the Tequila Regulatory Council, as well as design, production and shipping. You can schedule a call with their team on Casa Maestri's private-label page.
How it's made
The company describes its process this way:
- Agave: blue Weber agave from its own fields in San Julián, in the Los Altos highlands, harvested ripe at 23 to 28 degrees Brix.
- Cooking: part of the agave is roasted in brick ovens for 36 to 54 hours, then blended half-and-half with agave cooked in an autoclave, a steam pressure cooker.
- Milling and fermentation: a multi-roller mill extracts the juice, which ferments for 48 to 60 hours in 30,000-liter stainless steel tanks.
- Distillation: two runs through pot stills, coming off the second at about 55 percent alcohol.
Production, aging and bottling all happen at the distillery in Tequila. The company doesn't publish aging times for each expression, so we don't list them here. For what blanco, reposado and añejo mean in general, see our guide to how tequila ages.
The bottles
Tequila
- Casa Maestri Blanco: unaged, bottled at 40 percent. It's on our shelf as the Reserve de MFM Blanco 750 ml and in the brand's flask-shaped 1.75 L Blanco Flask. There has also been a limited-edition Blanco 1965 in a stainless-steel flask.
- Reserva MFM Reposado: rested in American oak. Casa Maestri Reposado 750 ml.
- Reserva MFM Añejo: the longer-aged expression, which we carry when it's in stock.
- Reserva MFM Aniversario Extra Añejo: the top of the range, often sold as the 10th Anniversary edition. Casa Maestri Reserva MFM Aniversario Extra Añejo.
- USA 250th Anniversary Añejo: a limited, numbered añejo in a gold-finish bottle, announced in April 2026 for America's 250th.
Tequila creams and coffee
- Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Cream: launched for Cinco de Mayo 2026 and inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar. It's a tequila cream liqueur at 15 percent alcohol, not a tequila.
- Reserva MFM Piña Colada Cream: another 15 percent tequila cream liqueur.
- Reserva MFM Café: a coffee liqueur at 35 percent. Retailers describe it as tequila with coffee from Córdoba, Veracruz, the Villanueva family's home town.
Agave Boom
The distillery also makes Agave Boom Margaritas, ready-to-drink margaritas in 200 ml bottles. They're made from agave wine rather than tequila, at 13.9 percent alcohol, in eight flavors from lime to mango-chamoy.
Everything we carry is in our Casa Maestri collection.
Awards
At the 2023 Bartender Spirits Awards, Casa Maestri's Blanco and Reposado each scored 93 and the Añejo 91. The Beverage Testing Institute gave the Café 92 points and a Gold medal in 2024. The company also reports a Double Gold and Best of Show for its Blanco at the 2025 WSWA competition.
How to choose
- For margaritas and palomas: the Blanco. Our classic margarita guide walks through the method, or try a Paloma.
- For sipping, or a tequila Old Fashioned: the Reposado, or the Añejo when we have it.
- For a milestone gift: the Aniversario Extra Añejo.
- For dessert or after dinner: one of the creams over ice, or the Café in place of coffee liqueur in an Espresso Martini.
- For a party with no mixing: an Agave Boom 8-pack, chilled.
FAQ
Where is Casa Maestri made?
At the company's own distillery, Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, under NOM 1438. The agave comes from its fields in San Julián, in the Jalisco highlands.
Who owns Casa Maestri?
The Maestri family. Celia V. Maestri and Michael Maestri founded the distillery in 2008, and Celia leads it as CEO.
What does NOM 1438 mean?
NOM is the registration number of the distillery that made a tequila, and it's printed on every bottle. NOM 1438 is Casa Maestri's distillery, which also makes tequila for other brands.
Is the Casa Maestri Dubai Chocolate cream a tequila?
No. It's a tequila cream liqueur, made with tequila and bottled at 15 percent alcohol, which is much lower than tequila itself.
Are Agave Boom margaritas made with tequila?
No. They're made by the same distillery but from agave wine, at 13.9 percent alcohol, so they're lighter than a margarita made with tequila.