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To paraphrase: 100% agave in, mixto out. Our tequila list says nine of the 10 best-selling brands in the world’s best bars are 100% agave. We could not have said that five years ago.
Once consumers started to realise mixto could be as low as 51% agave, the 100% agave market exploded, while mixto began to fizzle out.
Just under 50% of polled bars said Don Julio was among their three top tequilas in 2015, with 20% naming it their house pour, including London’s American Bar, Hong Kong’s Quinary and The Clumsies of Athens.
Suddenly Diageo’s move to relinquish Bushmills and gain full control over Don Julio makes more sense.
The UK group might count be grateful it failed to get hold of the mixto Jose Cuervo a few years back. The brand was top of our pops from 2010-2013 but has plummeted in the rankings since the 100% agave revolution.
Travelling down the list we have Calle 23, which is a best seller in a third of bars polled. These following top 50 bars are all converts: Licoreria Limantour in Mexico City, Trick Dog in San Francisco, 69 Colebrooke Row, Ruby in Copenhagen and The Jerry Thomas Project in Rome.
Ocho – last year’s best-selling tequila in our poll – may have been overtaken, but its terroir-led philosophy is well received among the trade and it has remained a buzz brand, as evidenced by the trending list.
One of last year’s bartender favourites, Tapatio, is in fourth, with the likes of Canon in Seattle counting it among its agave arsenal.
Tequila Cabeza, an 86 Company product, has won many admirers since its launch. Aviary in Chicago and Little Red Door both sell more of it than any other tequila.
But we should probably give Patrón a mention at number five. Without its work building the 100% agave category, many of these brands would likely not have the traction they now enjoy.
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The Best Selling list is based on bottles sold while the Top Trending list refers to on-trend brands that are being requested right now but are not necessarily sold in high volumes.
To find out more about how we carried out the survey and collated the results read How We Did It.
Check out the other lists here:
Gin, US Whiskey, Vodka, Brandy, Rum, Scotch, Bartenders' Choice.
