Impact Databank: 100%-Blue Agave Tequilas Reach A 70% Share In The U.S.

While total Tequila imports increased 17% in 2022, 100%-blue agave shipments rose even faster (+23%) and accounted for more than seven out of every 10 bottles in the market last year. It’s the first time ever that 100%-blue agave has accounted for at least 70% of all Tequila consumed in the U.S., according to Impact Databank. A supply squeeze had caused 100%-blue agave Tequila shipments to ease towards the end of the previous decade, but since then exports to the U.S. have resumed their double-digit growth.

Three brands priced over $40 a 750-ml. bottle are among the four largest-selling brands in the market—Patrón, Casamigos, and Don Julio. The upscale end of the 100%-blue agave category has also seen impressive growth from two Proximo brands—Maestro Dobel (+26% in 2022) and Gran Coramino (50,000 cases in its first year on the market), as well as from Combs Spirits’ DeLeon, with nearly 60% growth last year to over 100,000 cases, according to Impact Databank.

But the fastest-growing Tequila segment in 2022 was comprised of brands priced between $25 and $40 a 750-ml. Earlier this year, Proximo launched a new marketing campaign for its 1800 brand, focusing on the ultra-premium expression Cristalino, a style in which Añejo offerings are filtered until clear. Cristalino is at the center of Proximo’s upscale push for its high-flying Gran Centenario and Jose Cuervo Tradicional labels as well.

Campari-owned Espolòn crossed the one-million-case threshold in 2022. This year, joining Espolòn and Cabo Wabo in the Campari stable is Mayenda, a new high-end, 100%-blue agave offering. Meanwhile, Teremana from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, officially passed one million cases this year on a rolling 12-month basis, and the brand has recently invested in an expanded distillery to meet growing demand.

Late last year, Bacardi USA launched Cazadores 100 Year Estate Release at $40 a bottle, and its Cazadores-based RTD offerings are also off to a fast start. Similarly, Milagro registered its third straight strong double-digit increase in 2022, and owner William Grant & Sons extended its line of Batch and Bottle RTDs earlier this year with a new pre-mixed Margarita made with Milagro Tequila.—Juan Banaag

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