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Few Spirits founder buys Tequila brand
Few Spirits founder Paul Hletko and Redemption Rye Whiskey creator Dave Schmier have acquired Goza Tequila for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition is said to bring new investment and resources to Goza Tequila, which was founded in 2015.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Goza Tequila,” said Schmier, founder of American whiskey company Proof and Wood. “The brand has a strong reputation for quality, and we believe that with our combined expertise and resources, we can re-energise the brand and find a place for Goza in the crowded but growing Tequila universe.
“It’s exciting to work with a well-distilled, quality agave spirit, and [to apply] our barrel management skills to bottle some exceptional Tequila.”
The founding team will continue to be involved with the brand, working in Mexico to source Tequila, bottling and building a NOM for Goza.
The NOM, or Norma Oficial Mexicana, is a four-digit number assigned to a distillery by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) to indicate an authentic producer of Tequila.
The Goza range, which includes blanco (US$38), resposado (US$40) and añejo (US$50), will continue to be produced in Jalisco.
Hletko added: “The Tequila category is growing, and we believe that Goza is well-positioned to capitalise on this trend. We look forward to working with the team to continue to innovate and bring new, exciting products to market.”
The duo will also invest in a family-owned distillery in the Jalisco highlands, where Hletko is working with the distiller to use its corn to make Mexican whisky.
Hletko and Schmier have also created several limited edition releases using their favourite barrels.
The ‘very limited’ selection of añejo single barrel Tequila is bottled as Founder’s Reserve (US$59.99) and the reposado as Special Reserve (US$69.99). Each bottle will indicate the date of barrelling and bottling.
“What’s most exciting is the first thing we did [was] to fill our own barrels with fresh blanco Tequila, and our first batch of reposado is now ready for release,” Schmier said.
Schmier co-founded Bardstown Barrel Selections, where the company’s ‘successful growth’ of Redemption Rye Whiskey led to its acquisition by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits in 2015.
Hletko is the founder, distiller and president of gin and American whiskey maker Few Spirits, based in Illinois. Few Spirits’ parent company, Samson & Surrey, was sold to Heaven Hill in 2022.