The immense distribution power of Diageo, combined with Don Julio’s position within the company’s Reserve range, makes it the most recognised premium tequila brand in the bar world. The results show that Don Julio is the bestselling brand in around 20% of participating bars, which represents a huge portion of the premium tequila market, now thriving in Europe.
Sitting in second is Patrón which, since Bacardi acquired the brand in 2018, has had significant investment in on-trade activations, such as its Perfectionist bartender competition. Although Patrón was fifirst pick in just a third the number of bars as Don Julio, it had greater representation as a second or third-pick tequila.
Brands Report veteran Ocho has dropped to fifth in the list of bestsellers, which may be a surprise to many bartenders given its cult following in the industry, as well as the fact it was the top trending brand last year.
However, it's good news for Fortaleza, which has taken the 10th-place spot away from Espolon as it completes a list dominated by premium tequila brands. The inevitable curiosity around George Clooney's Casamigos after its industry-shocking acquiition by Diageo has put it right in the mix of the top trending brands.
Methodology
The results of this report are the culmination of a questionnaire of 106 bars around the world, each cherry-picked to take part based on their performance in global bar awards. We aim to find out not only which brands sell best but also what’s trending. These two data sets give us an insight into the brands that are doing the most volume and the brands that are hot right now.
To read more on the methodology of the Brands Report click here.
