Agave-based spirits

From Diageo’s US$1 billion takeover of George Clooney’s Casamigos to Bacardi’s acquisition of Patrón last year, the Tequila category is on fire. The popularity of its lesser-­known agave cousin, mezcal, has been simmering away for several years – but 2019 looks poised to be the year agave-­based spirits get the recognition they deserve.

Celebrity backing is a powerful tool for any spirit brand or category to have, and with Clooney’s mezcal line extension combined with Sex and the City star Chris Noth’s acquisition of Ambhar Tequila, there’s no shortage of famous faces ready to elevate the sector to the next level.

Add to that some of the industry’s leading names – Alex Wolpert, of East London Liquor Company, and Michael Sager and Marcis Dzelzainis, both of Sager + Wilde – launching their own line of agave distillates, called El Destilado, and it’s clear there has never been such a rich fountain of knowledge surrounding the agave spirits sector.