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Top 10
Top 10 biggest-selling Tequila brands
The growth rate of Tequila might be slowing slightly but demand remains strong, as the world’s biggest brands demonstrated last year.
After several years of double-digit increases, Tequila sales are starting to slow in the US, the category’s biggest market. IWSR Drinks Market Analysis said volume consumption grew by 4% during the first six months of 2023.
The US continues to be the leading market for agave spirits with volume growth of 4% and a value rise of 7% in 2023, recent data from IWSR revealed.
There’s also huge potential for growth internationally. Outside of the US and Mexico, agave spirits rose by 14% in volume and by a quarter in value last year, the IWSR said. Volumes in India nearly doubled during 2023.
The future is bright for agave spirits and while 2023 was a tough year for many million-case spirits brands, the Tequila category was fairly resilient.
Looking at the top 10 Tequila brands selling more than one million cases, there were six brands in growth. The category’s top seller held onto its position, but there was a change in the coveted second spot.
Below, we count down the biggest Tequila brands by volume in 2023 from the companies who supplied data for The Brand Champions 2024 report, which is now available to read online.
10. Olmeca (including Altos)
2023: 1.3m
2022: 1.1m
% change: 12.3%
Place last year: 9
Pernod Ricard’s Olmeca Tequila (including Altos) was one of only two brands on our top 10 list to report double-digit growth last year, rising by 12.3%. It also marked the third year of growth for the mixto brand, which counts Colombia, Turkey, South Africa and China as its main markets.
Last year, the brand revealed a new format for its annual Olmeca Shot Ring competition, which brings together global influencers across the world to showcase their own shot-tail.
Meanwhile, Altos was the number-one premium 100% agave Tequila in the UK off-trade, after the brand grew by 8% in value in 2023. During 2023, Altos released an infused Tequila range, two ready-to-drink canned Margaritas and a ready-to-serve version.
9. El Jimador
2023: 1.6m
2022: 1.7m
% change: -8.8%
Place last year: 7
Last year, El Jimador reported its first decline since 2020 with a drop of 8.8% to 1.6m cases. It followed a strong year of growth for the brand when it recorded a 21.4% increase in 2022.
During the six months ending 31 October 2023, the Brown-Forman-owned brand grew by 7% led by higher prices, mainly in the US and higher volumes in Colombia. The brand grew despite lower volumes in the key markets of the US and Mexico.
Last summer, El Jimador unveiled its new global campaign, Reserved for Everyone, which aims to ‘democratise’ high-quality Tequila.
8. Espòlon
2023: 1.6m
2022: 1.3m
% change: 18.1%
Place last year: 8
Campari Group’s Espòlon saw the highest growth among the top 10 best-selling brands, soaring by 18.1% in 2023.
According to the Italian group’s financial results for 2023, the brand rose by more than a third (35.7%) after growing by 30.9% in the US during the fourth quarter.
Espolòn joined Campari’s ‘global priority’ brand cluster in 2024, accounting for 8% of the group’s sales.
Espòlon’s blanco was also named the third biggest-selling Tequila on the now-closed US platform Drizly in 2023.
7. Hornitos
2023: 1.9m
2022: 2.1m
% change: -6.6%
Place last year: 6
Hornitos has seen impressive growth over the past five years, however this ended in 2023 when sales fell by 6.6% to 1.9m cases.
In brand owner Suntory Global Spirits’ financial results for 2023, there was no mention of Hornitos, perhaps due to its decline. However, stablemate El Tesoro Tequila grew by double digits last year.
Suntory Global Spirits (formerly Beam Suntory) saw a decrease of 2% in total sales in North America (a key region for Tequila) last year, due to a slowdown in consumer demand.
Despite the full-year drop, Hornitos rose by single digits in the first six months of 2023, Beam Suntory reported. Tres Generaciones increased by double digits, and El Tesoro soared by triple digits.
6. Gran Centenario
2023: 2.1m
2022: 2.0m
% change: 2.5%
Place last year: N/A
A new entry to the top 10 list was Gran Centenario, due to owner Proximo Spirits providing data for the brand for the first time.
Gran Centenario reported a modest increase of 2.5% in 2023, its fourth consecutive year of growth.
In July last year, Gran Centenario partnered with Mexican actor and former professional footballer Cristo Fernández (pictured above) for its Incuestionables campaign. The collaboration with the Ted Lasso star may have helped to boost the brand in the US and Mexico.
5. 1800 Tequila
2023: 2.8m
2022: 2.5m
% change: 9.6%
Place last year: 5
The second Proximo Spirits-owned brand to appear among the top-selling Tequilas was 1800 Tequila. Growing for its fifth year in a row, the brand now sits at 2.8m cases, after rising by 9.6%.
Last October, the brand collaborated with Mike Skinner of The Streets on a limited edition bottle that visually represents the band’s new single.
The brand’s blanco bottling was also the eighth biggest-selling Tequila on Drizly last year.
If it continues at its current growth rate, 1800 Tequila should comfortably surpass 3m cases in 2024 and outsell its nearest competitor, Casamigos.
4. Casamigos
2023: 3.0m
2022: 3.2m
% change: -4.8%
Place last year: 4
After four years of phenomenal growth, Diageo-owned Casamigos took an 8% tumble to 3m cases in 2023, despite its blanco being the best-selling Tequila on Drizly.
The previous year saw the brand, co-founded by George Clooney, skyrocket by 42.5%.
For the final six months of 2023, Diageo noted an organic decline of 13% for Casamigos, with a 14% drop in the US. Diageo attributed the decline to distributors replenishing stock in the previous year.
At a roundtable in London following the financial results, Diageo’s outgoing chief financial officer, Lavanya Chandrashekar, said of the brand’s decline: “For years Casamigos had a 50% growth rate and we were having a hard time keeping up with supply. Last year, we finally got enough supply. And so we have this filling of the pipeline and we are lapping that this year. That’s why what’s in our books looks like a decline.”
3. Patrón
2023: 3.2m
2022: 3.5m
% change: -8%
Place last year: 2
Bacardi-owned Patrón also struggled to retain its long-running growth rates, falling by 8% to 3.2m cases in 2023 – its first decline in five years.
The family-owned firm added ultra-premium brand Patrón to its portfolio in January 2018 in a billion-dollar acquisition.
While the group does not disclose its financial performance, the brand’s sales could have been hit by slowing demand in the US and lower consumer spending.
It certainly wasn’t a quiet year for Patrón, which launched Paloma and Margarita activations in the UK, a partnership with Selfridges and several new Tequilas.
2. Don Julio
2023: 3.4m
2022: 3.2m
% change: 8.2%
Place last year: 3
Don Julio had a much better performance in 2023 than its stablemate Casamigos, rising by 8.2% to 3.4m last year.
The sales gain saw it overtake Patrón for the number-two position for the first time in our biggest-selling Tequila list.
For the year ending 30 June 2023, brand owner Diageo reported a rise of 22% for Don Julio.
However, in the second half of 2023, the brand’s sales dropped by 1% due to a decline in the Latin America and Caribbean region. In the US, Don Julio’s organic net sales increased by 2% over the six-month period, driven by aged variants including reposado, which were partially offset by some destocking of Don Julio 1942.
In September last year, Don Julio released a short film as part of its Por Amor campaign, which aims to bring Mexico ‘to a global stage’.
1. Jose Cuervo
2023: 9.5m
2022: 9.2m
% change: 3.3%
Place last year: 1
Posting its fifth year of growth in 2023, Jose Cuervo was named this year’s Supreme Brand Champion.
The Proximo Spirits-owned brand has grown its volumes in five years from 7.3m nine‐litre cases to 9.5m last year, a rise of 3.3% on 2022. Jose Cuervo has held its number‐one position in the Tequila category for decades, despite growing competition from global spirits conglomerates and celebrity‐backed brands. It remains far ahead of its competitors, and sold nearly three times the case sales of the category’s second‐biggest seller, Don Julio.
Jose Cuervo has maintained its enormous sales success by innovating in categories such as cristalino and pre‐mixed cocktails. The brand has also recognised a massive opportunity for Tequila beyond the US and Mexico, citing markets in Asia and Europe as areas for further growth.