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Casamigos sale shoots Clooney to top of rich list
Actor George Clooney has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid actors thanks to his billion-dollar Casamigos sale to Diageo.
George Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila has propelled him to the top of Forbes‘ best-paid actors list 2018
Clooney pocketed a cool US$239 million between 1 June 2017 and 1 June 2018 before tax – the most any actor has earned before tax in a year, according to Forbes.
The actor co-founded Casamigos Tequila in 2013 with Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman. The brand is now said to be the fastest-growing super-premium Tequila in the US.
Diageo snapped up Casamigos in August last year for an upfront fee of US$700m, with a further US$300m on the table depending on the brand’s performance over the next decade.
In February this year, Casamigos extended its spirits offering with the launch of a mezcal made from 100% espadin agave.
Casamigos Tequila and mezcal joined the Diageo Reserve portfolio in Europe in May 2018.
Speaking to The Spirits Business earlier this year, Cristina Diezhandino, managing director of Diageo Reserve, said: “This [deal] really responds to Tequila in the US, which is growing significantly more than 7%. This in itself explains why this is such a great acquisition for us.”