Rooster Rojo moves into mezcal

Amber Beverage Group will debut its first mezcal under the Rooster Rojo brand at ProWein 2023.

The new ultra-premium spirit will be unveiled for the first time during the annual trade show, which will take place from 19-21 March in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Rooster Rojo Mezcal is made using underground ovens to cook the seven-year-old agave. Open wooden vats, covered with agave fibres, are used for fermentation. The spirit is then distilled in copper pot stills, sealed with local clay.

Each bottle of the mezcal is signed by maestro mezcalero (the master mezcal maker) Rodolfo Lopez Juan.

Mantas Zlatkus, global brand director for Rooster Rojo Tequila, said: “The project has been in progress for a long time already due to its complexity as mezcal is subject to different regulations through different government controlling bodies in Mexico.

“The idea to extend the Rooster Rojo Tequila range with mezcal has been a long-held ambition as it is a natural fit portraying the core of our brand character.

“I would describe it as bolder than Tequila. The biggest international drinks fair is the best place to announce this important event for our brand.”

Bottled at 43% ABV, Rooster Rojo Mezcal is priced at RRP £50 (€56/ US$60) per bottle.

Zlatkus added: “If consumers realised how much work and effort goes into delivering a bottle of mezcal to your table, they would appreciate every drop of this precious liquid even more.

“It is not only about the liquid production itself with tiny production batches, manual work and special terroir, but the long years of cultivating the agave plants in the burning sun of Oaxacan mountains, a remote and harsh location, and deliveries requiring an armed escort.

“Rooster Rojo Mezcal is the real thing, the real soul of Mexico, the gift from the Mexican people to the rest of the world.”

In January, the brand appointed a brand champion to help promote the Tequila internationally.