Four former Patrón Tequila executives are shaking up the alcohol industry with the launch of Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka, an agave-based spirit distilled in the Mexican state of Jalisco and finished in Muenster, Texas, 45 miles northwest of Denton. to return to.
Weber Ranch Vodka will be released on May 7, 2024, and will be distributed in Texas, California, Florida, and New York, and then nationwide, said Weber Ranch Vodka, president and CEO of Weber Ranch's new parent company, Round 2 Spirits. Chief Operating Officer Lee Applebaum said.
“What we do has to be truly disruptive,” he said.
Making vodka from the agave plant is unusual, acknowledged Arlinda Dougherty, an expert on agave spirits and an education partner at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). Crystal Head is one of the few other spirits she's known for in 2021, and is part of a range of spirits that are “agave-influenced,” as described by Liquor.com.
Applebaum and his illustrious Weber Ranch founders are poised to shake up the industry. They say agave makes a cleaner-tasting vodka. Most vodka is made from grain products such as wheat or rye. Some are made with potatoes.
“There was no real innovation or disruption in this category.” [vodka] It’s been a while,” Applibaum said. He is the former chief marketing officer of his Patrón and has worked as a branding officer at Target, RadioShack, Cola-Cola, and more. He lives in Dallas.
The Weber Ranch team is a list of executives who were also involved in Patron's $5.1 billion sale to Bacardi Limited in 2018. The five people are John Paul DeJoria, billionaire founder of Paul Mitchell Hair Products and Patron; Ed Brown, former CEO of Patron; Dave Wilson, former president and chief operating officer of Patron; Applbaum, former CMO of Patrón, and Brad Vassar, former COO of beverage distributor Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits.
The five purchased the assets of Muenster's Whiskey Hollow Distillery, which had been declared bankrupt.
“We built a global spirits business,” Applebaum said of his time at Patron.
“And let's do it again.”
Why vodka and not tequila?
Most agave-based spirits distilled in Mexico are made into tequila rather than vodka.
But Weber Ranch straddles two countries. The team harvests and distills Blue Weber's agave plants in Jalisco, Mexico, and transports the 190-proof liquid to the United States as agave distillate. Due to this move outside Mexico, it can no longer be sold as tequila, as determined by Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council. Weber Ranch continues its distillation process in Texas using copper pot and column stills acquired from the former Whiskey Hollow Distillery.
When combined with water from the Trinity Aquifer, Weber Ranch is bottled as an 80-proof vodka.
Applebaum, head of branding, said it has notes of green apple and tropical fruit, but not the “afterburn” that is common in vodka.
Of course, there's a business case here. According to DISCUS, Weber Ranch will compete as vodka in the top spirits category in the United States in 2023.
Doherty added that the tequila industry, familiar to the former Patron team, is “very crowded.”
“Tequila brands are emerging every day,” she said. According to industry research, the industry is projected to grow to $11.69 billion in 2024 and likely $18.5 billion in 2032.
The door to innovation is open. Dougherty said agave is currently cheap and presents an “opportunity for people who want to make a change.” Enter Weber Ranch Vodka.
“It's interesting to me too that they call it vodka,” Doherty added. “[Vodka] It can be made from any sugar and any plant. ” She said vodka can be made from anything: apples, carrots, potatoes. In this case, Weber Ranch Vodka is made from products traditionally used in tequila and mezcal.
“I'm not surprised,” Doherty said. “Interesting.”
A Dallas bar owner's perspective
Shad Kvetko, owner of Las Almas Lotas, a Dallas Mezcareria that sells Mexican spirits, said Weber Ranch's process will be a hot topic among liquor industry insiders. Kvetko is confused as to why agave is distilled to make vodka in Round 2.
“For me, it's just a travesty to take a beautiful plant like agave and change it to have so much depth and character and variation in flavor,” Kvetko said, “and turn it into vodka.” he said.
Applebaum and his team have heard it before. Vodka has a reputation for being odorless, tasteless, and neutral. A former tequila executive probably wouldn't use his three adjectives to describe Patrón or any other tequila.
“I'm interested in tequila and mezcal because they transport me to the country,” Kvetko said. Will Weber Ranch, the origin of agave, be able to bring him back to Mexico? Weber Ranch hasn't reached consumers yet, so it's too early to tell.
price matters
Applebaum said the seven years it takes to grow agave in Mexico proves the Weber Ranch has “taken its time” with the product.
“Better ingredients make better vodka,” he said.
A 750ml bottle costs approximately $27.99 in Texas (prices may vary by store). That's a few dollars more expensive than Gray Goose and about $10 more than Tito, the two big players in the industry. Price is everything, Applebaum said.
“We're asking them to trade brands,” he said. “There is something I would like to ask you to take a leap forward.There should be no price barrier.”
Applebaum and his team tested Weber Ranch in Martinis, Cosmos, French 75s, Vodka Sodas, Bloody Marys, and more. They hope customers will consider ordering Weber Ranch Ranch Water. It's technically a vodka soda.
Applebaum wonders aloud whether vodka has ever been made the right way, and this is certainly a destructive debate.
He counters: “If your vodka is made from the same thing as French fries, you probably don't want to drink it.”
