Celebrity Tequila: A Comprehensive Guide

Celebrity tequila has gone from the trend to the norm.

As tequila supplier revenue in the United States grew from $ 1.068 billion in 2004 to $5.162 billion as of 2021, many American stars have attempted to jump on to the ballooning popularity of the agave-based spirit.

If anything, the onset of the COVID pandemic only accelerated this trend. A rapid increase in the online consumption market for tequila combined with a new desire to create ultra-premium cocktails at home provided the perfect opportunity for many a celebrity to enter the industry.

Since 2020 alone, we’ve seen new tequila brands launched by Kevin Hart, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Eva Longoria, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad, and of course, Kendall Jenner.

How did this trend start? Reducing complex market trends to an easy explanation can be difficult, but in the case of celebrity-owned tequila, the answer is pretty simple.

George Clooney and entrepreneur Rande Gerber were among the first celebrities to get into the tequila game with Casamigos back in 2013. Only four years later, the pair sold their brand to spirits-giant Diageo for $1 billion –  a headline grabbing number, and one which unleashed a cascade of celebrities onto the market in search of their own Casamigos.

Feelings surrounding celebrity tequila are fraught to say the very least.

Many have decried the hollywood-ification of tequila, arguing that American celebrities existence in the industry crowds out true tequileros from Mexico. The same crowd might tell you that celebrity tequilas tend to be much, much more sugary than your average tequila, in keeping with the bubblegum image of many of our favorite superstars.

Still, it’s hard to deny that celebrity branding hasn’t accelerated tequila’s rapid growth in the United States. With some experts predicting that tequila will soon overtake vodka as America’s most popular spirit, celebrity-owned tequila is likely here to stay.

Here’s a look through the stars bustling for space on our liquor store shelves.

George Clooney – Casamigos

Though perhaps not the first celebrity tequila, Casamigos is certainly the blueprint. Casamigos is regularly one of the top 10 best-selling tequila brands year after year – you’ll see it held in the hands of countless celebrities for innumerous photoshoots, and you’re sure to find a bottle of their blanco or reposado stocked at seemingly any bar on earth.

Story would have it that Clooney and Gerber first created the drink according to their personal tastes, meant to be enjoyed amongst themselves and not for market (thus, Casamigos, or “house of friends”).

Find Casamigos Reposado at Reserve Bar

Kevin Hart – Gran Coramino

Launched in June 2022, Kevin Hart’s Gran Coramino is a relative newcomer to the field. Gran Coramino offers just one expression, a Cristalino reposado – barrel-aged for four months then charcoal filtered to remove its tint and provide that smooth, blanco-like aesthetic. Combined with its ornate twisted bottle, Gran Coramino is definitely angling to go after a premium segment of the market.

Find Gran Coramino at Total Wine

Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul – Dos Hombres

Breaking Bad actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul ventured into the industry with Dos Hombres Mezcal back in 2019, and to this day are unique as one of the very few celebrity-owned mezcals on the market.

Throughout the summer of 2022, the pair made headlines when they promoted their mezcal at a string of local bars (and Costcos?) across the country.

Find Dos Hombres Espadin Mezcal at Reserve Bar

Eva Longoria – Casa del Sol

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria named her brand after the “magic of golden hour“, and designed her logo in the image of Mayahuel, the Aztec goddess of agave. Distilled by tequileras Mariana Padilla and Alejandra Pelayo, Casa del Sol has made it their mission to help level the playing field for women in the tequila industry.

Find Casa del Sol Blanco at Total Wine

Michael Jordan – Cincoro Tequila

Michael Jordan’s Cincoro Tequila has gone all-in on its deluxe branding, sporting a magnificently tall bottle and a series of limited releases with exorbitant thousand-dollar plus price tags.

Not every bottle of Cincoro will cost you quite that much, but still, this is the kind of tequila you’ll want to save for the victory lap.

Find Cincoro Tequila Blanco at Reserve Bar

Kendall Jenner – 818 Tequila

Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila has been subject to occasional controversy since it first launched in 2021 – but of course, maybe that’s the point. Different tequila brands have taken varying approaches to how forward-facing their celebrity-branded image leans, but 818 Tequila has never left us questioning who the head honcho is in charge.

Ultimately, 818’s flavor profile is in keeping with the Kardashian-Jenner brand image: punchy sugared hits of vanilla, cake batter, and caramel all the way through.

Find 818 Tequila Blanco at Reserve Bar

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – Teremana Tequila

For a man who has ventured into seemingly every business on earth, it seems inevitable that ‘The Rock’ would create a tequila of his own. Translating to “spirit of the earth”, Teremana boasts small-batch production and a brick oven-roasting process.

Find Teremana Tequila Reposado at Reserve Bar

Rita Ora – Prospero Spirits

With her launch of Prospero Tequila, British pop star Rita Ora became one of the first non-American, non-Mexican celebrities to enter the tequila industry. Helmed on the production side by Master Distiller Stella Anguiano, Prospero is distinguished by its colorful logo and enjoyed for its floral flavor palate.

Find Prospero Blanco at Reserve Bar

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