Tito’s craft vodka goes global with UK launch

American craft brand Tito’s Handmade Vodka has revealed plans to launch in the UK, Australia and Asia now that John McDonnell, former COO of Patrón Tequila has joined the group.

Bert “Tito” Beveridge is rolling out Tito’s Handmade Vodka to the UK, Australia and Asia, but insists it will remain “craft”

McDonnell, who joined Tito’s in August as international sales director, has laid out plans to grow the cult craft vodka into a global brand within the next 12 months.

Already launched in US, Canada and Caribbean travel retail to capitalise on the holiday season, Tito’s is next set to launch in Singapore in December.

Come January, Tito’s will be available in the UK via distributor Hi-Spirits, which already has a diverse portfolio of brands imported from the States, and Australia and New Zealand.

McDonnell told The Spirits Business he chose to leave Patrón in June and join Tito’s because he believes the brand has “huge potential” for global growth, as the American craft movement “is starting to gain foothold outside the US”.

“There’s absolutely potential for craft spirits like Tito’s to do well outside the US,” he said. “This brand has been built by word of mouth in the US and the more people taste it and understand it, the more it will grow. It’s a very smooth vodka at a great price.”

The brand has exploded from humble beginnings in 1997 when it was first distilled by founder Bert “Tito” Beveridge in a 16-gallon pot still in Austin, Texas, to a 26-acre site that produced 850,000 cases last year, up 46% from 2011.

Asked whether Tito’s can retain its “craft” status as a global brand, let alone as a domestic brand shifting such huge volumes, McDonnell said: “We’re not going to advertise in a mass way; it’s about targeted distribution in both the on- and off-premise so we’ll still sell Tito’s original American craft vodka.”

Tito’s Handmade Vodka is six-times distilled from corn and bottled at 40% abv. It currently retails in the US for US$20 a bottle.