Dine & Cook | Alternative food journalism

LOUISVILLE, KY -- If one bottle of tequila wasn't enough, tequila lovers can now buy an entire barrel.

Tequila Herradura kicked off its its exclusive buy-the-barrel program Thursday with Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Emmitt Smith purchasing his own barrel.

The program gives tequila connoisseurs the chance to order their very own Herradura Double Barrel Reposado.  When bottled, each barrel yields approximately 240 bottles of tequila.

Tequila lovers can travel to the Hacienda near Guadalajara, Mexico, to select their own barrel-- and once chosen, the tequila is placed in bottles with personalized labels, including the purchaser's name, number and bottling date. The barrel itself then is varnished, branded and shipped with a framed certificate of ownership.

Price per barrel is approximately $10,000 and the order process takes about 45-60 days.

"We are proud to introduce Casa Herradura's first buy-the-barrel program, which embraces the tequila aficionado and includes them in our celebrated selection process," said Mark Bacon, director of Casa Herradura Tequilas in North America. "We felt it was important for us, as a tequila institution, to share the art of making this fine spirit with our valued customers."

In production since 1870, Casa Herradura is one of the oldest producers of tequila.

Located and produced in the heart of Mexico's tequila region, in the tiny town of Amatitan, Jalisco, Tequila Herradura is 100 percent blue agave tequila crafted using traditional methods, such as cooking the agave in clay ovens and fermenting naturally with wild yeast.