Automotive and energy firm Tesla has moved into spirits with the release of a namesake Tequila priced at US$250.
The new Tesla Tequila is described as a small batch, premium, 100% agave añejo expression, made from sustainably sourced highland and lowland agaves. It was aged in French oak barrels for 15 months.
According to the Tesla website, the expression is a sipping Tequila and has a ‘dry fruit and light vanilla nose with a balanced cinnamon pepper finish’. The hand-blown glass bottle is shaped as a lightning bolt.
The website notes that the product is produced by Tequila maker Nosotros and sold by Speakeasy Co, an e-commerce platform based in California.
The 40% ABV Tequila is already out of stock on the car maker’s online store, with purchases expected to be shipped in late 2020. The product is available in select US states.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk first revealed plans to launch a Tequila in October 2018 under the name ‘Teslaquila’ after registering for the trademark in the US Patent and Trademark Office.
At the time, Musk took to Twitter to reveal a ‘visual approximation’ of the Teslaquila bottle design, which differs vastly from the Tesla Tequila brand with a rectangular bottle.
However, a month later, Musk faced opposition from the Tequila Regulatory Council for registering the ‘Teslaquila’ name as a ‘distilled agave liquor’ and ‘distilled blue agave liquor’. The trade group argued against the name as it evokes the word ‘Tequila’, which is protected in the US.
In January 2017, the Mexican trade body won the right to register ‘Tequila’ as a certification mark in the US following a legal battle with drinks group Luxco.