Sphynx Is the Latest UK-Owned Tequila Brand to Hit the Market; Here’s Why Investors Are Piling in From Across the Pond

(Photo: Sphynx Tequila)

Former Big Brother contestants Sukhvinder and Imran Javeed have unveiled Sphynx, a new UK-based tequila brand said to “epitomize sophistication” with its eye-catching bottle.

The brand is coming to market with blanco, añejo, añejo cristalino and extra añejo black oak expressions. Speaking on their inspiration, Sukvhinder said;

“We wanted to create a legacy brand and creating a Tequila was a natural choice for us. We are lucky to be working with a brilliant female-led distillery in the lowlands of Jalisco where we age our Tequila in custom wine barrels for a completely unique flavour profile.”

Sphynx joins a rapidly growing trend of UK-based tequila brands that have somewhat unexpectedly sprung onto the market.

London-based VIVIR Tequila, launched in 2019, was one of the first to get in on the action with the fast-paced release of 100% agave tequilas, a lineup of mixtos and a coffee liqueur. Over the past year, we’ve also witnessed Neurita, a Sicilian orange and pomegranate-infused tequila, as well as Quarter T/quila, a 12% ABV spirit that’s distilled in the UK using Mexican-grown agave.

To be clear, British-owned tequila is hardly a new phenomenon. Diageo, the international spirits giant behind hit brands like Don Julio, Casamigos, DeLeon and more, was founded in London way back in 1997 and still calls the city its home.

Brands like Sphynx and Neurita are different — these are tequilas backed by UK investors intended primarily for the UK market. For agave spirits nerds, they represent an interesting change of pace that might foreshadow big shifts to come.

The UK currently sits behind the US, Germany, Spain and France as the world’s 5th largest importer of tequila. Positions, however, can be deceiving: in terms of sheer numbers, the U.S. massively outpaces all other tequila-importing nations in the world combined.

Leading countries of destination of tequila exports from Mexico in 2022, in 1,000 liters. (Photo: Statista)

To put the difference in perspective, the UK imported .015% as much tequila as the United States in 2022.

But those numbers are expected to grow. Tequila sales in UK-based shops and supermarkets reportedly rose 94% from 2020 to 2022 and projections forecast that the market may continue doubling in value until 2025.

Of course, those figures are a long, long way from catching up to the US market. Time will tell whether the trend sticks.

Still, amidst the tsunami of cut-rate celebrity-owned tequilas that have flooded American liquor store shelves, it’ll be nice to see some unexpected competition from across the Pacific Ocean.

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