Cricket legend Adam Gilchrist launches Tequila
Australian cricketing great Adam Gilchrist has ventured into the spirits industry with a Tequila brand called El Arquero.
Gilchrist played for Australia’s international national cricket team from 1996 to 2008 and is viewed as one of the game’s greatest wicket-keeper-batsmen. He is in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
On the side of his cricket career, he developed a fondness for premium Tequila.
Commenting on launching his own brand, Gilchrist said: “El Arquero isn’t just Tequila; it’s a spirit that connects worlds.
“Beyond cricket, this has been a lifelong dream. Travelling to Mexico, hand-picking the finest ingredients, learning the craft and building both the team and the business… to now see it bottled and on shelves is truly a pinch-yourself moment.”
For El Arquero, Gilchrist has partnered with his wife Mel Gilchrist and some of Australia’s drinks industry leaders: Eddie Brook (of Cape Byron Distillery), Dan Fitzgerald (Fourth Wave Wine), Stephen Atkinson and John Eastham.
The brand intends to blend artisanal Mexican heritage with the laid-back Australian way of life.
The team has partnered with Destiladora de Los Altos (NOM 1412), in Jalisco, Mexico to create the Tequila. The distillery is operated by the Banuelos family, who are known as the original founders of Bacardi-owned Cazadores.
El Arquero will initially kick off with two expressions, blanco and reposado, both crafted from 100% Blue Weber agave and verified as additive-free by the Additive Free Alliance.
An añejo will follow next year.
Gilchrist added: “El Arquero is about more than Tequila, t’s about connection, quality and celebrating life’s moments with something real. Australians love authenticity and that’s what we’re bringing to the table.”
Being an Australia-owned Tequila, the brand said it stands apart in a category traditionally dominated by overseas imports.
El Arquero is currently available throughout Australia, with the blanco priced at AU$100 (US$66) and the reposado at AU$120 (US$79).
You can watch Gilchrist and the team in Mexico below:
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