In the Know - The Agave Way, Pernod Ricard

The Agave Way

EXPERIENCE AUTHENTICITY WITH PERNOD RICARD’S PREMIUM AGAVE SPIRITS PORTFOLIO

By Michael Tulipan

As premium tequila and mezcal continue to experience robust growth, Pernod Ricard USA agave portfolio brands have staked a position as category leaders thanks to an unwavering commitment to authenticity, quality, and tradition.

Agaves for Avión tequilas are grown at the highest elevations in Jalisco, ensuring the spirit is rich in flavor and remains true to traditional methods. At the premium level, Avión’s Reserva 44, an extra añejo tequila aged for more than three years, has experienced tremendous growth with sales up 18% year on year. The newly launched Avión Reserva Cristalino marks the company’s first foray into this fast-growing style, offering a crystal clear añejo tequila that has been double-charcoal filtered to remove the color while maintaining notes of oak, vanilla, and roasted agave. Like Reserva 44, Reserva Cristalino makes for an enjoyable sipper, as well as a great option for adding an agave twist to whiskey-based cocktails like the Old Fashioned.

Developed for-bartenders-by-bartenders Henry Besant and Dre Masso, Olmeca Altos delivers an ultra-premium tequila at a super-premium price point. “It’s one of only eight distilleries in Mexico to use the ancient Tahona stone,” says Craig Johnson, Vice President of Marketing, Agave Portfolio at Pernod Ricard USA. “Which is a traditional extraction method that crushes the agave fibers using a 3000-pound stone, leading to a smoother and sweeter flavor profile.” Given its creators, the tequila is a natural for use in cocktails and has become a bartender favorite. Del Maguey is a groundbreaking brand created by Ron Cooper that almost singlehandedly put artisanal mezcal on the map in the United States. Indigenous Zapotec farmers in villages around Oaxaca and the neighboring states make its single village mezcals. Del Maguey has been committed to celebrating ancient Zapotec traditions that make each of its 20 expressions unique.

Vida, Del Maguey’s “mixing mezcal” crafted from Espadin agave, has been a bartender favorite for years, but the “Vino” portfolio offers the opportunity to try other agaves, including wild varietals. “Our ranges capture recipes from different villages,” shares Johnson, “as well as recipes made with different agave varietals, providing the opportunity to explore mezcal through craft and culture.”

As with other categories in today’s market, spending on premium agave spirits shifted. “Through that process, we believe consumers recognized the overall quality within premium tequila and will continue to lean into it moving forward,” explains Johnson. “We see the category continuing to become more and more premium.”

Authenticity is also helping drive interest in premium agave brands, especially among millennials looking for something more than yet another celebrity-endorsed tequila. Johnson says, “Consumers are starting to identify brands who walk the talk and judge them more by taste and messaging instead of packaging and celebrity appeal.”