George Clooney's tequila enters the UK market

Casamigos Tequila, founded and owned by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Michael Meldman, is entering the UK market through distributor Cellar Trends. Casamigos is one of the fastest growing ultra-premium tequilas in the US. See also report: Marketing boost for George Clooney's tequila.

“We love tequila. On the rocks, by the shot, at times, straight from the bottle,” say George Clooney and Rande Gerber. “We are excited to bring Casamigos to the UK. It’s a great feeling to share something we created, drink and are extremely proud of.”

“We worked on the creation of Casamigos Tequila with our master distiller in Jalisco, Mexico, for years and held many blind tastings until we knew we got it right. We’ve been drinking Casamigos with friends and family for over six years,” adds Clooney.

Casamigos is currently available in Blanco, Reposado and Añejo. These small batch, ultra-premium tequilas are made from 100% Blue Weber agave, grown in the Jalisco Highlands for a minimum of seven years. After harvest, the piñas are roasted in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours. They then go through an extra-slow fermentation process for a further 80 hours, nearly double the industry standard.

The Blanco (RRP £49.99) rests for two months. The Reposado (RRP £54.99) and Añejo (RRP £59.99) are aged 7 and 14 months respectively in American white oak barrels, which have been reconditioned after being used to age whiskey. Tequila is 40%ABV and will be available in 70cl bottles.

Before going into the bottle, each batch is tasted and approved by the master distiller, Gerber and Clooney, to ensure the highest quality. Each batch is then numbered and signed by Gerber and Clooney. Casamigos’ authentic minimalist design reflects the men who created it.

“We talked about how this was going to be like the bottles you see in old John Wayne movies,” jokes Clooney, “where you slide the bottle down the bar, pull the cork out with your teeth, and pour yourself a shot.”

Casamigos is available in the US, Bahamas, Canada and Hong Kong, and will be launching into the UK this Spring.

Casamigos has garnered the highest accolades from the spirit industry’s most well respected authority figures. Awards and ratings include the highest rated gold medals from Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The Beverage Testing Institute, The New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, The Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition and many more. Additionally, Casamigos was rated “Excellent, Highly Recommend” by The Ultimate Spirits Challenge, received the coveted 5 star rating from BevX Magazine, “A perfect tequila,” A rating, from Good Spirit News, named “Best Tequila in the World” by Men’s Journal magazine and Oprah Winfrey lists Casamigos as “The Smoothest, The Best.”

2 March 2015 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor