Women-led 1953 Tequila launches in US

Three entrepreneurs have partnered to create ultra-premium brand 1953 Tequila, which aims to provide opportunities for women in a male-dominated category.

The añejo Tequila is the brainchild of former investment banker Shivam Mallick Shah and politicians Lindsey Davis Stover and Alison Kiehl Friedman.

The product’s release on 17 October and its name pays tribute to the date that women in Mexico secured the right to vote.

Kiehl Friedman said the brand is “dedicated to the trailblazers challenging traditional industry norms and impacting the world in ways large and small”.

“Three years ago, we set out to make one of the world’s finest Tequilas in a way that fundamentally changes the industry,” Davis Stover added.

The trio worked with a family-owned distillery to make the Tequila, alongside a team of four sisters who run an agave farm.

The founders also partnered with master distiller Rocio Rodriguez and Adriana Lopez, who used her family’s tradition of Tequila-making to produce the brand.

The Tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave responsibly harvested from the mineral-rich red soil of the Jalisco Highlands.

It is slow-roasted and aged for 15 months in vintage ex-Bourbon American oak barrels.

The additive-free Tequila carries flavours of caramel and vanilla accented with notes of citrus and chocolate.

The brand has committed to prioritising female leadership throughout its supply chain, supporting unionised labour, working to advance environmental standards and supporting women-focused organisations.

The Tequila retails for US$205 per 750ml bottle and is available to buy exclusively from ReserveBar in the US.

For more women-founded spirits, check out our round-up of 10 pioneers who have successfully started their own drinks brands.