Beverage Group Vice President Jeremy Nedelka 763-383-4413 jnedelka @ epgacceleration . com

Editor , On-Premise Melissa Dowling 763-383-4442 mdowling @ epgacceleration . com

Editor , Off-Premise Kyle Swartz 763-383-4447 kswartz @ epgacceleration . com

Senior Regional Sales Manager Mark Marcon 763-383-4456 mmarcon @ epgacceleration . com

National Accounts Director Debbie Rittenberg 763-383-4455 drittenberg @ epgacceleration . com

Associate Managing Art Director Nicole Siewert

Sr VP / Audience Development Joanne Juda-Prainito

CEO Marion Minor

Beverage Dynamics , Beverage Wholesaler , Cheers and StateWays are published by EPG Brand Acceleration .

Editorial and executive offices at 10405 6th Ave North , Suite 210 , Minneapolis , MN 55441

I LIKE TO JOKE THAT TEQUILA enjoys the same consumer demographic nowadays as High Noon . Which is to say : Everybody . Age , gender , socioeconomic bracket , levels of drinking experience — it doesn ’ t matter . Almost all consumers are currently making room in their budgets for a nice bottle of tequila , the same way that their shopping carts will almost always contain High Noon .

Growth numbers support this theory . U . S . sales of tequila ( and mezcal ) were up 17.2 % in 2022 , according to recent data released by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States . That percentage represented a gain of $ 886 million , for a U . S . category total of $ 6 billion . Suffice to say , agave spirits remain on the rise ( see our story on page 13 ).

But why ? Why have these spirits captured American consumer attention so thoroughly ? The same question can be asked for Mexican beer . At a time when some beer segments have slowed down ( craft ) or gone flat ( macro ), Mexican imports remain a reliable source of growth ( see our story on page 8 ). One reason why : Like tequila ( and High Noon ), everybody seems to drink these brews .

Answering the popularity question for Mexican beer involves premiumization and quality . People are happy to trade up for these easy-drinking brews , largely lagers , because they taste great for their price point . And the flavor consistency across dominant brands like Corona , Modelo , Pacifico and Tecate mean that consumers always know the experience they are purchasing .

Tequila also taps into premiumization and quality , with the added bonus of cocktails and consumer exploration . Mixed drinks like Margaritas keep this spirit top of mind and well used in backbars . Add in the explosion of sipping tequilas — coupled with their rich history and authentic production methods that younger LDA consumers love — and you have a recipe for massive appeal and growth .

Tequila and Mexican beers both check a lot of boxes for today ’ s alcohol trends . Because of that , these categories continue to have a consistently large consumer base , and a future as bright as the Jalisco sun .

Kyle Swartz , Editor , off-Premise

3 Editor ’ s Note

4 Data Driven

By Melissa Dowling

6 Trip Report

By Melissa Dowling

8 The Spirits of Mexico

By Thomas Henry Strenk

9 Q & A with Lunazul Tequila

By Jeremy Nedelka

10 Mexican Beer

By Jamie Stafford

13 Tequila Sustainability

By Kyle Swartz

16 On The Shelf 17 Drink Recipes

2023 Spirit of Mexico 3