Sunset
According to Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council, exports of the drink — which is recognized as a protected designation origin, similar in Champagne — have dropped for the first time since 2009, falling some 4% year-over-year to 401 million liters in 2023.
Figures were down across key tequila-drinking regions last year, including the US — the biggest buyer of the spirit — where shipments fell 5%. However, the decline in exports isn’t necessarily down to people giving up on tequila themselves, but rather a shortage of agave, the liquor’s base ingredient, which saw production drop almost 8% last year.
Margaritaville
Sales of tequila and other Mexican beverages have been booming in the US and beyond for a while now, as drinkers have ordered and mixed Margs, Palomas, and Sunrises in increasing quantities. Indeed, agave-based liquors like tequila and mezcal were the fastest-growing spirit category in the US in 2022, knocking whiskey off the second-best-selling spot that same year.
The upshot of the tequila boom didn’t go unnoticed by A-list celebrities such as The Rock and Kendall Jenner, both of whom capitalized on — and possibly even contributed to — growth in recent years with their own trendy tequila brands.
