While we may now have many celebrities stepping into entrepreneurial roles with the launch of their own liquor labels in the global spirit industry, one of the very first celebrities to kickstart the trend was the handsome and much-loved actor George Clooney!
Along with bar and restaurant tycoon Rande Gerber, Clooney conceptualised the idea of Casamigos tequila while sipping the spirit in Mexico one fine evening. The idea was to have a super-smooth tequila that didn’t burn the drinker’s throat and could be enjoyed neat without resulting in hangovers. This led to the duo sampling over 700 recipes in the span of two years before they came across the recipe that put Casamigos on the world map.
To acquire the licenses for the continuous production of the tasteful spirit, Gerber and Clooney partnered with property developer Mike Meldman, and officially launched Casamigos in 2013. The label gained popularity through word of mouth marketing and in 2017, the world’s largest spirit company Diageo bought Casamigos for 1 billion dollars!
Casamigos tequila offers three styles of the spirit under its label – Blanco, Reposado and Anejo. The tequilas are distilled from hand-selected 100% Blue Weber aged agave that has been aged for 7-9 years in the highlands of Jalisco in Mexico. The workers roast the agave pinas for 72 hours in traditional brick ovens to produce a better quality liquor as compared to the usual practice of 7-hour-long roasts. To achieve the tequila’s distinct taste, Casamigos invests in an 80-hour fermentation process as opposed to the usual 48-hour process. And to put the cherry on top, the Master Distiller uses a special yeast blend to acquire the tequila’s refined flavour instead of the commercial yeasts that other labels use in their production processes.
Casamigos Blanco is rested for 2 months in stainless steel containers before it is bottled. It packs a fruit-forward flavour profile that offers notes of vanilla and grapefruit and an aroma of citrus and sweet agave.
Casamigos Reposado is aged for 7 months in premium American white oak barrels, and offers notes of dried fruits, spicy oak and sweet agave on the palate. The aroma is very caramel-like, with subtle hints of cocoa.
Casamigos Anejo is aged for 14 months in premium American white oak barrels, and packs a spicy and barrel-oak flavour profile. The aroma is caramel-like with notes of vanilla in it.
Since its launch, Casamigos has been awarded around 12 awards for its character and flavour profile. The tequila has emerged as a winner at the Berlin International Spirit Competition, Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Denver International Spirits Competition, Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition and Vancouver International Tequila Expo amongst other prestigious spirit competitions.
Wow, this makes me want to taste Casamigos today! Have you had a chance to get a taste yet?
