Mar. 30, 2023
The name means “house of friends,” and we are thrilled to welcome your newest friend from the Diageo portfolio, Casamigos Tequila and Mezcal. No doubt you’re already familiar with this incredible spirit, and so are your customers. It was the fastest-growing spirit of 2022 and has approximately doubled in sales volume each year since its acquisition by Diageo in 2017. Not bad for a spirit that started out as a pet project between a group of friends who had no plans for ever releasing their tequila to the public. We’re proud to be your new source for this incredible spirit. Together, we’re looking forward to a bright future and taking stock of Casamigos’ unusual path to greatness.
Friendship in Every Bottle
Ten years ago, longtime friends George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman started a pet project to create a tequila for their own private consumption.
It was important that it tasted great and didn’t burn going down,” Gerber explained to CNBC in 2017. “We wanted one that we could drink straight or on the rocks. One that we could drink all day and all night, and not be hungover in the morning.”
Gerber added that while Casamigos "started from a friendship and an idea to create the best tasting, smoothest tequila as our own house tequila, it has quickly turned into the fastest-growing super-premium tequila.”
Catch a Rising Star
Working with a distiller in Jalisco, the Casamigos team spent months tasting and developing their tequila before arriving at the spirit we know and love today. Gerber explained that when the final product arrived, “George opened the sample, poured one for me, poured one for him, and we tasted it. We both looked at each other, had another taste of it, and we were like, ‘This is it. It’s perfect.’”
Once the recipe was set, Gerber, Meldman, and Clooney were happy to share the tequila amongst themselves, their families, and their close friends. However, plans changed when their distiller in Jalisco contacted the trio with some concerns about volume.
Gerber recalled in a 2017 interview with CNBC that “the distiller called and said, ‘Hey guys, we have a little problem: In the past two years, we’ve been sending you about a thousand bottles a year. Either you’re selling it or you’re drinking way too much. Either way, we can’t keep calling it samples. You guys have to get licensed and do this right.’”
Big Wins for Casamigos
Once Casamigos went public, it didn’t take long for major players in the industry to take note. As Gerber explained, “I believe the success that we’ve created for Casamigos has been changing the perception of tequila. When we created Casamigos, we wanted something that was very different from every other tequila, something with no burn.”
By raising the bar for quality and accessibility, Casamigos is elevating and leading the category. In 2017, Diageo came calling, and the rest is history, with Casamigos nearly doubling or tripling year-over-year sales volume each year.
“This is a wonderful addition to our United portfolio made possible by the consistent effort and hard work of all our colleagues each day,” said Brian Albenze, Executive Vice President, United Division, Breakthru Beverage Group. “We are proud to have this opportunity to grow this amazing brand. Together, we have an ambition to win and lead the tequila category.”
Gerber is philosophical about the brand’s success, telling Drinks Business, “when you have the best product, the best marketing is word of mouth,” adding, “this is why Casamigos has become such a huge success across the globe.” The key, he said, has been focusing on the product inside the bottle, not the bottle or label itself. “We have an inexpensive bottle, but the best quality tequila inside.”
We cannot wait to share Casamigos Tequila and Mezcal with you and your customers. Connect with us today to place your order and to find out more ways to leverage this brand, and its wonderful history, into more and greater wins for your business.