Casamigos Debuts Its First New Tequila in Over 5 Years, a Charcoal Filtered Cristalino

Never one to miss out on a trend, George Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila is introducing its first new release in over five years.

Casamigos Cristalino was quietly announced on Thursday in a Penta interview with brand co-founder Rande Gerber. The new tequila is a charcoal-filtered take on their best-selling reposado. Said to contain flavors of cocoa and vanilla bean, it has begun to pop up online for around $60.

For the uninitiated, a cristalino tequila begins life as a barrel-aged reposado or añejo. Distillers will then filter the liquid through activated charcoal, stripping it of its dark whiskey-like tint and rendering it clear as a blanco.

The first cristalino tequila was created in 2011 by famed producer Don Julio. Named Don Julio 70 in commemoration of the brand’s 70-year anniversary, this eighteen-month-aged añejo was originally named an “añejo claro”. The term didn’t stick, but the technique certainly did.

In years since, cristalinos have exploded into one of the industry’s biggest gimmicks, popularized by brands like 1800, Jose Cuervo, and Kevin Hart’s Gran Coramino.

Despite the fanfare, tequila enthusiasts generally despise them. Many feel that charcoal-filtration strips aged tequila of its flavor, mouthfeel and aroma, doing little to justify its oftentimes steep price tag.

Whether you’re a cristalino lover or hater, Casamigos’ new tequila will almost certainly be a smash hit. Casamigos was recently crowned the best-selling celebrity spirit of 2022 and represents 12.6% of all tequila sales in US retail stores.

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