Are cristalinos the next growth driver for Tequila?

The “rapidly growing” cristalino category will drive premiumisation in Tequila, according to the CMO of Proximo Spirits.

Premiumisation is a long-term strategy for Proximo Spirits and many of its Tequila brands are placed within that bracket: 1800, Maestro Dobel, Reserva de la Familia by Jose Cuervo, and Gran Centenario to name a few.

Lander Otegui, CMO at Proximo Spirits, says Tequila is a category where value is growing ahead of volume, and drinkers are drawn towards not necessarily the more expensive bottles, but those that place their emphasis on craft and quality.

Speaking to The Spirits Business, Otegui says he believes the premiumisation of the category coincides with the changing perception of what Mexico means in conjunction with luxury.

“In the last 20 years the idea of what Mexico is has evolved significantly, with its cuisine, its appeal as a travel destination, its art, architecture and culture”, he shares. “Tequila has followed that path and now the perception of Tequila globally has improved significantly.”

To further the point, Otegui suggests that the exposure to this new idea of Mexico with quality, craft, history and tradition leading the way, means consumers are more open to paying more for Mexican products. He says: “The way Mexico has come on globally has allowed Tequila to become a much more respected and appreciated category. We’ve seen everyone from tasting panels to celebrities endorsing Tequila, so that allows the category to become popular worldwide – but it also allows for more experimentation and more cultural appreciation of the craft and the liquids inside the bottle.”

Cristalino segment a ‘key growth driver’

One Tequila type that is particularly of interest to the company is cristalino. Otegui claims it it is the number-one style in Mexico and that cristalino Tequilas are “rapidly growing” in popularity in the US. He adds that more than 40 brands now have a cristalino SKU in their lineups.

Furthermore, he says the segment is expected to account for 6% of the category by 2028 and is seen as a “key driver” for premiumisation in the next five years.

Mezcal, too, is enjoying the cristalino success, after Proximo launched Creyente Cristalino Añejo a year and a half ago, which Otegui calls the “first luxury mezcal of its kind”. He views luxury mezcal as an “interesting category” that the company is trying to experiment with. “There has been a lot of interest in the cocktail scene with Mezcal in general,” he notes.

As consumers become more discerning with premium products, innovation is something that can differentiate a product from the rest of the crowd. “Consumers are looking for excitement,” Otegui explains. “Innovation is central to our success. Proximo translates to ‘what’s next’ and reflects our forward-thinking approach.”

Tequila is there for consumers to explore and cristalinos are innovative products themselves. Maestro Dobel Diamante Cristalino, for one, was the world’s first Cristalino Tequila – and Otegui believes the brand needs to “push the boundaries of what spirits can be”.

“This goes beyond simply focusing on quality: it’s about crafting products that surprise and excite consumers at different price-points, ensuring there’s something for everyone, without compromising on authenticity,” he says.

Being first on the scene is important in this regard. Along with the cristalino mentioned above, Proximo launched Reserva de la Familia 35 years ago, which he says was the first extra añejo Tequila.

Touching on other innovative Tequila releases the company has put out more recently, Otegui says: “We have a wide range of innovations with the Dobel family that’s doing quite well. Maestro Dobel 50 Anniversary Series combines four luxury, barrel-aged extra añejo Tequilas with rare cask finishes like Sherry and Armagnac, uncommon for the category.

“Then Dobel Atelier, where our Trajineras Edition, the second annual release of limited edition, hand-painted extra añejo bottled in 2023, was created to honour traditional Mexican craftsmen and techniques, in art and in Tequila.

“With 1800, we have Milenio, which is aged in American oak and French oak Cognac barrels. We launched 1800 GuachiMonton, which is a very unique Tequila finished in orange Tequila liqueur casks. So our innovation and our approach to luxury is always going to be a little more disruptive.

“While our Tequila portfolio has expanded, it’s not only in the amount of offerings that we have – all of our Tequilas are very unique and very different from each other.”

Sporting success

Another play that Proximo is making with Tequila is targeting the world of sport, which Otegui calls a “passion point” for the company’s consumers. He says “tennis and golf play very nicely in the ecosystem of that consumer”.

For the US Open, a grand slam and one of the four biggest professional tennis tournaments of the year, Maestro Dobel is the official Tequila sponsor. Expanding on the sponsorship and what it does for the brand, Otegui says: “We are very clear on our consumer target and we’re very clear on the types of platforms that we want to be part of, and tennis is a big one.

“We’ve had an incredible two-year run with the US Open. We’ve been growing our sales significantly in the venue, but also around the venue, with our Ace Paloma and some other cocktails. Consumers now know about our cocktails and from the start of the partnership – when we only had signage in the stadium and appeared at some carts – we now have a full bar and our Dobel Tequila Club.

“Attendees were drinking our cocktails paired with Mexican food from Enrique Olvera, one of the world’s most iconic Mexican chefs. We had an incredible turn at the venue and sales were really strong. Then we had ambassadors in tennis stars Taylor Fritz (who made the semi final in 2024 in the men’s event) and Aryna Sabalenka (who won the women’s event), with their own signature Dobel cocktails.”

Tapping into travel retail

While the presence in major golf and tennis tournaments is great for Dobel’s exposure, Proximo’s high-end Tequila portfolio is also looking to the advantage of the category’s rise in travel retail.

Otegui says Proximo is implementing its luxury strategy innovation in the space, where the company has seen “incredible success in airports across the globe”.

On taking Proximo’s luxury Tequilas worldwide, he continues: “We’ve also seen a really interesting growth in Western European markets like Spain, France, Greece, Germany and the UK, where our luxury Tequilas are doing quite well. We’re starting to see some really strong inroads in the Asian market as well: Japan, China and Korea – the Tequila category is starting to become a little bit more attractive for that consumer.

“And then considering luxury Tequila, brown spirits for that part of the world [Asia] are critical. So our añejo and extra añejo are seeing some really good traction in those channels.”

Closer to home, in the US, Otegui finds interest in premium Tequila is “pretty homogenous across all states, with some being more developed than others”.

The demand is being driven by affluent markets like New York – the “’Mecca’ for luxury spirits” – and in California, where there is a high percentage of Hispanic consumers. According to Otegui, these markets are driving influence across the US in the likes of Florida, Texas and Illinois (he points to Chicago as a big city for Proximo).

“You see that premiumisation is democratising across the board in the US,” he adds. “There’s a lot more interest from consumers in upgrading their spirits, from paying, let’s say premium or super-premium prices all the way to the ultra-premium points.”

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Author: Rupert Hohwieler