AQARA seen as benefiting northern Peru tourism
Northeastern Peruvian distillery AQARA has added another tourism draw to a part of the country that most tourists bypass by enabling them to experience alcohol made from a plant most would likely be surprised is found anywhere near Peru.
AQARA is located in the town of Caraz, a name derived from the Indigenous Quecha word Qaaray, which means place of the agaves, with different types of agave growing in the high, arid area.
Agave is also the source of famed Mexican spirits tequila and mezcal, with AQARA founder and owner Marco Suarez acknowledging that most people incorrectly believe that agave is found in Mexico alone.
“Agave distillates have historically been dominated by Mexico,” he notes, adding that his agave spirit is “as genuine as those of Mexico. In fact, because agave has grown throughout the Americas since time immemorial, the first variety to be botanically classified – remarkably, in London in 1753 – was Agave Americana, so named precisely because it grows across from California to Argentina. Moreover, the original name Maguey, heard by the Spanish conquistadors as early as 1492, is of Taíno origin – that is, from the Caribbean, the first lands encountered by those arriving from the Old World.”
While Mexico has carried out the extraordinary work of placing tequila and mezcal in bars and restaurants all over the world, he believes that it’s time for the destination to share the limelight.
“We believe that the time has come for Agave Spirits of the World, and we are delighted to be among the first to help open this new path. In 2025, more than 12 agave distillate brands from outside Mexico – such as Israel, Australia, and Venezuela – won medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, underscoring the rapid global growth of the category.”
Notably, he says the distillery alone earned eight medals in this contest and have maintained a commercial presence in the U.S. since 2021.
AQARA was represented at last year’s Peru Outdoor Expo, which was a showcase for northern Peruvian tourism
“The result is a product that is clearly differentiated [from tequila and mezcal] in terms of flavours and aromas, body and finish. Why is this the case? We believe there are three fundamental reasons: The use of wild agaves that had gone untouched for over 500 years – since the Spanish conquest introduced grapes and sugarcane; the use of glacier water, made possible by our unique location at the foothills of the world’s longest chain of tropical glaciers; and our geographic position at 9 degrees South of the Equator, compared to the roughly 20 degrees North latitude of the town of Tequila – our warm climate, despite the 2,256 metres above sea level location, mix a great expression of terroir,” he adds.
Suarez says AQARA – founded in 2019 – is an artisanal distillery by choice and by conviction, controlling the process end-to-end from “mountains to the bottling, and produce a true Zero-Kilometre Spirit, with our distillery in Caraz just minutes from the agave fields. Our annual production stands at 15,000 bottles, with the ability to scale to three times that volume in the short term.”
The distillery’s main challenge “lies in reaching established markets for agave-distillate consumers. We have been present in the U.S. since 2021, working with an importer who has helped us expand into more than 12 states.
Peru is well known for its brandy-like pisco, but Suarez says that this isn’t a David versus Goliath story, with AQARA and pisco catering to very different markets with different strategies.
Meanwhile, Gloria La Puente-Burger of northern Peru tour company Gloria Perou Voyages welcomes the addition of another tourism draw in a part of Peru that she says is under appreciated by international tourists.
“Of course people wonder about agave growing naturally on the hills,” she says. “AQARA is a good drink with the taste of the Péruvian Andes. It will be good for an increase in tourism. Perhaps we [Gloria Perou Voyages] have to prepare a program that includes an afternoon to enjoy AQARA.”
