Flavours waiting to be discovered

Data from 2022 reveal that sales of spirits made from agave surpassed American whisky sales in the USA, and a forecast by IWSR says tequila will overtake vodka this year, becoming the biggest spirit category. There are two tequila categories: the distillate made of 100% blue agave and the mixto – the alcohol content of the later is provided by minimum 51% blue agave and the rest is from sugar or molasses. The label on a bottle of tequila never says “mixto”, so if there is no 100% agave content indicated on the label, the given drink is a mixto. Strong, smoky distillates made of maguey agave are called mezcal.

Let’s learn to sip

Adrienn Hangya, junior brand manager of Roust Hungary:

“Hungarian tequila sales have surged in every category, demand is huge, but the drink’s popularity is far from its esteem in the USA. Our Jose Cuervo tequila continues its conquest, as volume sales are now bigger than before the pandemic. This growth is mainly produced by on-trade channels, but off-trade is increasing too”.

Eastern Europe is lagging behind

Dávid Gábor Kovács, marketing director of Zwack Unicum:

“Basically it is in the English-speaking countries that Mexican spirits are very trendy, and Eastern Europe is lagging behind in this respect. It is more and more characteristic of Hungarian consumers too that they drink less but from better quality spirits”.

Zwack is the distributor of Diageo’s Don Julio and Casamigos tequilas. In May 2023 the company introduced Don Julio Blanco premium tequila to the market, which will be followed by the super-premium Don Julio Anejo and Reposado products in July.

Adrienn Hangya explained that in mainstream bars tequila is typically enjoyed as a shot, while in premium hospitality units guests drink it in cocktails. Dániel Lehner added that people tend to drink their Sierra Tequila as a shot, but using it in cocktails is becoming increasingly frequent, thanks to the brand’s Antiguo and Milenario variants. Dávid Gábor Kovács reckons that in Hungary demand may rise for aged Mexican spirits among premium consumers – this can be true not only for tequila, but also for other Mexican spirits such as mezcal, sotol and bacanora. //