The tequila adulteration scandal continues to be batshit as we untangle the latest revelations, including the final two mystery brands and test results that seem to support the allegations
The other night I had a dinner party and set out a bottle of Siete Leguas. Several guests half-jokingly asked me if it was “real tequila.” I found myself reassuring my friends that many brands are still producing excellent tequila. I never thought I’d be having that conversation. I love tequila and have tremendous respect for the many legitimate tequileros. But with the recent storm of revelations, I can understand why some consumers are beginning to wonder if all tequila is adulterated.
Since we last reported on the tequila adulteration scandal, A LOT has happened. To make sense of it, I’ve created a timeline of recent revelations, followed by my takeaways and a chilling message from the man who has risked everything to bring this story to light.
September 19- Remberto Galván petitions the Mexican government to open an investigation into a Mexican liquor store chain, a multinational grocery chain, and the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). He alleges that the chain stores are selling adulterated tequila that’s mislabeled as 100% agave, and that the CRT is failing in its duty to ensure that tequila meets legal quality standards. To support his case, he states four bottles of tequila have been tested in Mexico and then sent to the Eurofin laboratory in France, which has confirmed that the tequila is adulterated.
Note: Galván was previously the spokesperson for the Mexican Agave Council (CMXDA) and currently represents a group called Agaveros 100 por ciento de Origen Mexicano. He has been fighting for the rights of field workers (jornaleros) and farmers (agaveros) since he was a teenage crew leader working in the agave fields for Jose Cuervo.
October 14– Remberto Galván sends Mezcalistas four lab test results that each include the following statement from Eurofins: “The isotropic parameters measured and presented on this analytica report are not in agreement with those seen for Tequila 100%, with reference to our database of authentic samples.” The test results explicitly name four brands of tequila. He requests that we keep quiet about the names of the brands and accused retailers because he’s worried for his personal safety and doesn’t want to impede what he hopes is an open investigation in Mexico. I agree to report the situation without mentioning the specific brands or retailers.
October 20– Ramón González Figueroa, the director of the CRT, invites Galván to a dialogue in Guadalajara. After the meeting, Galván tells me that CRT representatives tried to offer him a deal to withdraw his accusations.
“I clarified that I don’t have a price and don’t want to be a coyote (middleman),” Galván said in a written statement that he plans to release to the press at large. “I told them that my only interest was in stopping the practice of mixing tequila with cane and corn alcohol, in other words cold blending, and for everyone to have a fair deal in the agave supply chain.”
Galván has previously suggested that all tequila should be 100% and that the mixto category should be eliminated. In this meeting, he says he tempered his demands.
“I told them I wasn’t opposed to the sale of mixto tequila…However, all bottles should have a label indicating the type of alcohol used and the percentage of agave. If people consume it and the government permits it, then it’s a matter of taste and the responsibility of the buyer. No one is being deceived. But selling tequila that falsely claims to be 100% is fraud and can be harmful to the health of the consumer.”
October 31– We receive notice that Costco has already been slapped with a class action lawsuit for distributing allegedly adulterated Kirkland Signature Tequila, which is one of the four brands tested by Eurofins. The suit is filed by Rennert Vogel Mandler & Rodriguez, which previously filed suit against Tequila 818 and Cincoro.
Galván is blindsided by the lawsuit. He hadn’t intended the allegations to yet go public.
November 10– Another one of the “mystery brands” is hit with a class action lawsuit from the same Florida firm. The case is actually against Heaven Hill for their distribution of Luna Azul, which is labeled as 100% agave but allegedly contains industrial alcohol. (This is notable because Luna Azul is a popular well tequila in bars across the US and thus accounts for a significant portion of the total volume of tequila sales.)
November 13– Remberto Galván authorizes us to name the two remaining brands: Don Ramón Plata Diamante and Centenario Plata (made by Cuervo). He also files a second formal complaint in Mexico against La Europa, a Mexican liquor store chain, and Costco, where he says he purchased the adulterated products, which included a bottle of Don Julio. According to his official statement, test results show that the Don Julio is adulterated with cane alcohol and also contains nearly double the acceptable legal level of methanol.
Note: We contacted these brands for comment but had not heard back at the time this went to press. Should we hear from them, we will gladly publish any response.
November 14– The law firm Hagens Berman files another class action lawsuit against Costco. “We believe Costco’s marketing of its tequila products is two-faced, and that despite marketing it as a premium – and reflecting that in its price – consumers have been misled about the quality of Kirkland Signature,” says Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman. “Consumers who purchased Kirkland tequila didn’t get what they paid for, plain and simple.”
(Hagens Berman is the firm responsible for the first class action lawsuit we reported on, which was filed this May against Diageo, the parent company of Casamigos and Don Julio. Diageo has strongly denied all allegations and filed a hefty motion to dismiss.)
My takeaways…
At this point, it’s challenging to track all these law suits, law firms, and formal complaints. Meanwhile, we wonder why this story isn’t receiving more attention in the mainstream press.
While it’s tempting to cry conspiracy, we must consider two things: First, it’s easy enough to file a class action lawsuit in the US and many people don’t take this seriously because they haven’t yet seen evidence. Secondly, we must consider the state of the world. Disturbing allegations vie with atrocities in a seemingly never-ending cycle, to the point where outrage can fizzle to exhaustion. When we’ve posted stories about the tequila adulteration scandal on social media, we’ve received a few comments along the lines of “Why should I care about this?”
Obviously you don’t need to care–just don’t read about it. But this issue is about much more than just the question of quality standards in the tequila industry.
In January of this year, I reported that thousands of agave farmers (agaveros) were protesting alleged tequila industry corruption and accusing the CRT of failing its mandate to represent all sectors of the industry, including the farmers. The article examined the history of tequila regulation and shed light on the historic tensions between agaveros and tequileros.
My primary focus was on the plight of the farmers, who were suffering because the price of agave had dropped from 30 pesos a kilo to one peso a kilo. The agaveros claimed this wasn’t part of agave’s normal boom-and-bust price cycle, but rather that big tequila companies such as Jose Cuervo had been colluding with the CRT to drive down the price of agave. Galván and other agavero leaders cited monopolistic practices, corrupt middlemen, and the illegal sale of permits. Galván alleged that the same large tequila companies were also adulterating their tequila with cane alcohol to save money and mitigate their reliance on independent farmers. That original news story was met with crickets.
We continued to cover the protests and negotiations, but the allegations of adulterated tequila didn’t gain traction until May, when we reported that a major law firm was bringing a class action lawsuit against Diageo, the parent company of Casamigos and Don Julio, for allegedly selling adulterated tequila masquerading as a 100% agave premium product. Our story was picked up by Reuters, trade publications, and other outlets. The scandal has since snowballed into more lawsuits, outraged declarations of innocence, and a whole lot of speculation.
But to me, the agaveros are still at the heart of this drama. In a nutshell: this is a story about giant corporations allegedly colluding with a regulatory agency to improve their profit margins. By allegedly adulterating tequila with industrial alcohol, these players are devaluing the price of agave. This is unfair to both the agaveros and the legitimate distillers who are still making real tequila with care and at much greater cost.
It’s also a tale of courage in the face of enormous danger. Since beginning this crusade, Remberto Galván has been abducted and beaten. Two other agavero leaders, Julián Rodríguez and Salvador Ibarra, were arrested for protesting outside of the Sauza distillery and held in jail for 72 days. We are seriously concerned for the safety of everyone who continues to speak out on this issue.
Galván says that he and his associates have received threatening anonymous phone calls. According to Galván, he was told that if doesn’t back down, his body parts will be strewn around his home.
But the alleged intimidation goes beyond death threats. According to Galván, his own distillery, La Alborada, was targeted. He says a friend and colleague was pressured to plant adulterated tequila on the premises.
This appears to be a theme. Galván, a crusader against adulterated tequila, may be charged with adulterating tequila. Julián Rodríguez, an advocate for the rights of farmers, was charged with extortion and intimidation of Sauza for engaging in a peaceful protest outside the entrance of their distillery.
Galván fears for his life. He asked us to put this in the public record. He ended our interview with a plea to President Claudia Sheinbaum:
“Today I leave my life in the hands of the President of the Republic and ask that she carry out the shared prosperity she speaks of so much–with the elimination of monopolies in Mexico. I ask that the rule of law be conducted with clarity and with respect for the evidence we have provided, and I ask for an end to this corruption.*”
Note: I have been researching this story, including visits to tequila country, since November 2024. If you are working on this story for another publication, please feel free to contact me for comment, clarification, or information. Or at least link to us.
*Upon Remberto’s request, this is a modified version of his original quotation.
The CRT has either declined or ingored all of our requests for comment.
Why is there a lawsuit against a retail chain (Costco)?
The store had its own brand of tequila made. It received a bottle labeled 100% agave with a guarantee (logo) from CRT. In my opinion, the store was just as deceived as the customer. Or what am I not seeing? Thanks for the explanation.
PS: in my opinion, the lawsuits should rather be directed to the CRT.