It’s eight straight from Don Julio as the Diageo brand tops our tequila chart once again – though, when you look under the table, it’s not the total domination of the category you might think. Actually, unlike gin, rum and vodka, whose leaders are the bestselling in 25-30% of our sample, it’s more of a competitive eld in tequila, with Don Julio just a length ahead of the pack. It’s the top tequila in 16% of the bars we polled and is part of the top-three offering in 43%.
Patrón, in second, was the bestseller in 7% of bars, but was among the top three in 28%. The thinking is, perhaps, that even if you don’t use it for your margs, it’s a useful brand to have about the place. Though it has to be said that its performance in the Trending list suggests it’s perhaps not the hot brand it once was.
Pernod Ricard’s Olmeca Altos takes more of the pouring deals – it’s the bestseller in 11% of our sample – but is less likely to be part of the backing group of tequilas. It was a top-three serve for 21% of our bars. In fourth is Ocho, which was the bestseller in 8% of the bars we polled and was found to be part of the cast in 23% of bars. The brand is a real bartender favourite, so we’ll see how Heaven Hill’s ownership impacts that.
In fifth is the champion from 2010-2013, Jose Cuervo. The brand is best known for its mixto expressions, but its range also includes 100% agave liquid, which is something of a prerequisite among the world’s best bars. It was the top tequila in 7% of the bars we polled and a top-three choice in 20%.
Brown-Forman’s value-for-money 100% agave tequila, El Jimador, and higher-end Herradura take small shares of the best bars’ business, while much-loved bartender brands Fortaleza and Tapatio register a few mentions.
Diageo’s Casamigos is now a million-case brand and growing rapidly – that it registers here, among people who aren’t generally seduced by film star-backed brands, means that it’s probably good tequila.
How we did it
The Annual Brands Report results are the culmination of a survey of 100 bars from 33 countries around the world which have been nominated or won international awards. The report offers a picture of the buying habits of the world’s best bars – not only which brands sell best, but also what’s trending to indicate the brands that are hot right now.
To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.
The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.
