NOM 1579 is Destilería El Pandillo, in Jesús María in the Jalisco highlands, run by fourth-generation distiller Felipe Camarena. Five brands come out of it — G4, Terralta, Volans, Pasote and the ArteNOM Selección de 1579 — and the distillery itself is the reason people buy any of them.
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NOM 1579 at a glance
| NOM | 1579 |
|---|---|
| Distillery | Destilería El Pandillo |
| Location | Jesús María, Jalisco |
| Region | Los Altos (the highlands) |
| Distiller | Felipe Camarena, fourth generation |
| Brands recorded | G4 · Terralta · Volans · Pasote · ArteNOM |
Bottles made at NOM 1579
| Brand | Expression | Type | ABV | 100% agave? | Additive-free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G4 | Blanco | blanco | 40% | yes | brand states it |
| G4 | 108 | blanco | 54% | yes | brand states it |
| Terralta | Blanco / Reposado / Añejo | range | 40% | yes | brand states it |
| Volans | Blanco / Reposado / Extra Añejo | range | 40% and still strength | yes | brand states it |
| ArteNOM | Selección de 1579 | range | 40% | yes | brand states it |
| Pasote | Blanco / Reposado / Añejo | range | 40% | yes | brand states it |
“Brand states it” is not the same as verified. The public additive-free register was withdrawn in October 2024, so nobody can point to a current independent inspection. These producers state it in writing and stake their reputation on it, which is the strongest claim still available — and weaker than an inspection. What happened to the list.
The distillery is the product
Most brands buy production. El Pandillo is the opposite case: five brands exist because one distiller built a plant to his own specification, and buyers follow the NOM rather than the label. Camarena cooks in brick ovens, mills with a machine he built himself from salvaged parts, ferments with the agave fibres included, and collects rainwater on site alongside well water — in a region where water is the constraint on everything.
If you have bought G4, Terralta, Volans, Pasote or the ArteNOM 1579 and liked it, the thing you liked is the distillery, not the brand. Five labels, one set of decisions. That is the whole case for reading the four digits: it is the only field on the bottle that tells you this.
The other end of the alcohol range
G4 108 is bottled at 54% alcohol, within touching distance of the 55% legal ceiling for tequila. On my own shelf sit four premium-priced bottles at 35%, the legal floor — hand-painted ceramic, smoked glass, heavy decanters. The cheapest-looking bottle in this comparison carries half again as much spirit per measure as the most expensive-looking one.
Strength is not quality on its own. But a distillery that bottles at 54% is choosing to show you more of what it made, and a brand that bottles at 35% in an elaborate decanter has made a different choice about what you are paying for. The full range, and what sits where.
NOM 1579: common questions
Which tequila brands are made at NOM 1579?
G4, Terralta, Volans, Pasote and ArteNOM Selección de 1579, all under Felipe Camarena at Destilería El Pandillo. They are separate brands with separate owners and prices, made in one building by one team.
Is everything from NOM 1579 100% agave?
Yes. Every expression recorded from this distillery is 100% blue agave. There is no mixto in the range, which is not true of every distillery in this directory.
Where is NOM 1579?
Jesús María, Jalisco, in the Los Altos highlands, near Arandas — the same town as NOM 1416, Productos Finos de Agave, which makes Casamigos, Avión and Clase Azul Plata under contract. The highlands sit around 2,000 metres, and the red iron-rich soil there is usually credited for the sweeter, fruitier character of highland agave.
Are G4 and Terralta the same tequila?
No, but they share a distillery, a distiller and a water source. They are different brands with different mash bills, aging regimes and owners. Liking one is a good reason to try the other, which is not something you can say about two brands that merely share a shelf.
Related
- The full NOM directory — every distillery recorded so far
- What does NOM mean on tequila? — the four digits explained
- How to read a tequila label — where the NOM sits on the bottle
- Additive-free tequila — what can and cannot be verified
- NOM 1416, Productos Finos de Agave — the other distillery in Jesús María, and the opposite business model
- Tequila proof and alcohol content — the 35% to 55% range