(Photo: Punta Santos)

Amidst a sea of 40% and 50% ABV tequila, Jorge Cerón and Diego Nuñez have created what they call  “the first and only luxury tequila featuring a lower alcohol-by-volume.”

Clocking in at 28% ABV, 77 calories per serving and $100 per bottle, Punta Santos is said to blend notes of agave, citrus and smoke with a subtle sweet finish.

Since the spirit sits well below the 40% ABV minimum of what can legally be called “tequila,” it’s been classified as a tequila liqueur instead.

“We set out to create Punta Santos for ‘mindful drinkers,'” says co-founder David Nuñez. “With a reduced ABV, they can enjoy the taste and experience of premium tequila, but on their own terms.”

The trend toward low-ABV spirits has quietly dominated the alcohol industry over the past year. Tequila is no exception. In June, UK-based Quarter Distillery unveiled “T/quila,” a 12% ABV agave spirit distilled across the pond using blue weber agave imported from Jalisco, Mexico. Earlier this month, actor Danny Trejo got in on the action with a zero-ABV tequila through Trejo’s Alternative Spirits — he plans to launch a non-alcoholic gin, mezcal, rum and American whiskey in the near future.

Punta Santos is differentiated by its $100 premium price tag. It might leave some wondering: why would you pay more for less alcohol?

Perhaps that’s not the right question. If all that consumers wanted was a high price-to-proof ratio, everyone would just buy mouth-scorching Everclear and go on their merry way.

The real question is: why would someone pay for $100 worth of “quality” tequila that’s been diluted down?

Other distillers have found unique approaches to the problem. T/quila, for instance, is blended with black Sarawak pepper and orange habanero pepper botanicals that add a robust kick to its low alcohol content.

Punta Santos is taking a different approach; its press release boasts “no added flavors, colorants or artificial sweeteners.” Straight tequila dulled down to a “more drinkable” level. If that sounds like your jam, check out the Punta Santos website here.

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