1800 Tequila
TypeTequila
ManufacturerProximo Spirits
Country of origin Mexico
Introduced1975
Alcohol by volume 35–50% abv
Proof (US)70–100
Related productsList of tequilas
Website1800tequila.com

1800 Tequila is a Mexican brand of tequila owned by the Beckmann family, who also own the Jose Cuervo tequila brand.[1] The 100% blue agave tequila is bottled in Jalisco, Mexico.[2] 1800 is named after the year tequila was first aged in oak casks,[3] and is sold throughout the world. In the United States, the brand is owned by the Beckmann family's company, Proximo Spirits.[4][5]

History

The first officially licensed tequila manufacturer was Jose Antonio Cuervo of Jalisco, Mexico, in 1758, after he was given the rights by King Ferdinand VI of Spain to cultivate a portion of land. Shortly thereafter, the production of tequila was banned, until 1795, when King Carlos IV lifted the ban. 1800 is widely known as the year in which tequila was first successfully aged in wood.[6]

Originally known as Cuervo 1800 Tequila,[7] 1800 Tequila was launched in 1975 as a premium sipping tequila.[8] The Silver, Añejo and Reposado labels were introduced in 2004.[9] Since 2008, it has been distributed in the US by Proximo Spirits.[5] That year, the Select Silver label was introduced, as the first and only 100 proof clear tequila.[9] In 2006, 1800 introduced The Ultimate Margarita, 19.9 proof and the only pre-mixed, ready-to-serve margarita mix made with 100% blue agave tequila (1800 Silver).[10]

Varieties

Name ABV (US) Notes
1800 Silver (Blanco) 40% 100% blue agave, aged in oak barrels for 15 days[3]
1800 Reserva Reposado 40% 100% blue agave, aged in American and French oak barrels for six months[3]
1800 Reserva Añejo 40% 100% blue agave, aged in French Oak barrels for three years[3]
1800 Coleccion 40% Limited run, in bottle made of Belgian crystal with pewter trim in a suede and leather case, an extra añejo tequila aged over three years in charcoal French Oak barrels[11][12]
1800 Milenio 40% A one-off run of extra añejo tequila produced in 2000 for the new millennium[13]
1800 Coconut 35% Coconut-flavored silver tequila[14]

Honors and awards

At the 2008 San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition, the Silver, Reposado and Añejo tequilas each won the silver medal, while the Milenio and Select Silver both received the bronze medal.[15] In 2009, Bloomberg Businessweek named 1800 Select Silver one of the world's 20 best-tasting tequilas.[16] Wine Enthusiast placed the 1800 Coleccion, an extra añejo, in its "96–100" scoring category.[8] It was described by The New York Times as "sweetly vegetal and very rich with an elegant aftertaste."[11]

Packaging

Bottle

1800s bottles have a trapezoidal shape and used to have a top designed to serve as a shot glass, by loosening the top slightly, turning the bottle upside down, and filling up the top.[7]

Essential Artist Series

In 2008, 1800 Tequila released a special limited-edition Essential Artist Series, with 12 unique bottle designs. A second series was released in 2009 with one "celebrity artist" bottle created by Shepard Fairey's firm Studio Number One, plus 11 new designs picked from 15,000 online submissions from across the United States, including a $10,000 grand prize winner.[2] Other series bottle designers include artists Gary Baseman, Yuko Shimizu and Tara McPherson.[17] As of 2013, 1800 is on its fifth annual Essential Artists series.[18] Each year, 1,800 of each Essential Artists bottle are produced.[19]

Marketing

Celebrity endorsements

In October 2013, 1800 launched a new international advertising campaign featuring actor Ray Liotta in four commercials, directed by Anthony Mandler. Each of the moody spots are free of dialogue (with the exception of several where Liotta orders the tequila, with the only piece of dialogue being "1800"), were filmed in Buenos Aires and show Liotta traveling to get to a glass of 1800 Tequila.[20] A previous 1800 campaign from 2011 featured actor Michael Imperioli in eight different commercials with a straightforward approach coveting the values of an older generation;[21] and in 2009, rapper Rick Ross and his crew, the Triple C's, became brand ambassadors by publicly endorsing Select Silver.[22]

Sponsorships

1800 Silver has two sponsorships with two NBA teams, signing marketing agreements with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 (becoming the first spirits brand to sponsor the Lakers),[23] and with the New York Knicks the following year. The agreements with both teams include ad placement at their respective stadiums, the Staples Center and Madison Square Garden, on the teams' websites, and various promotional activities throughout the NBA season.[24][25]

References

  1. ^ Michael J. de la Merced, “Diageo Is Said to Be in Talks to Buy Jose Cuervo,” DealBook, May 24, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Lewis Wallace, “1800 Tequila Gives Artists a Shot at Boozy Fame,” Wired, October 28, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d 1800 Tequila, TequilaKnight.com. Accessed February 27, 2014.
  4. ^ “Cuervo Weighs Its Options After Failure of Diageo Talks,” Shanken News Daily, December 12, 2012.
  5. ^ a b “Diageo Loses Cuervo to Proximo,” The Chuck Cowdery Blog, March 1, 2013.
  6. ^ “Tequila’s History: Part 2 of 3: 18th & 19th Centuries,” In Search of the Blue Agave, May 2011.
  7. ^ a b “1800 Tequila Bottle Design – What Goes Wrong When Form Doesn’t Follow Function,” Archived 2013-12-19 at the Wayback Machine betterspoon.com, January 31, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Proof66.com Awards Summary Page for 1800 Coleccion Extra-Aged". Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  9. ^ a b “1800 Tequila,” Archived 2014-03-04 at the Wayback Machine tequilawisdom.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  10. ^ Colleen Graham, “1800 The Ultimate Margarita,” Archived 2014-04-12 at the Wayback Machine About.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Florence Fabricant, “Tequila, by the Snifter,” The New York Times, November 29, 2006.
  12. ^ Frank J. Prial, “We’ll Have The Chateau Cuervo,” The New York Times, March 15, 1998.
  13. ^ Geoff Kleinman, "Review: 1800 Milenio Extra Anejo Tequila," Drink Spirits, April 28, 2014.
  14. ^ 1800 Anjeo Coconut Tequila Archived 2018-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Influenster. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  15. ^ “1800 Select Silver Tequila Review,” Archived 2014-03-09 at the Wayback Machine Behind the Bar Show, July 14, 2009.
  16. ^ David Kiley, “The World’s Best-Tasting Tequilas,” Bloomberg Businessweek, March 12, 2009.
  17. ^ Evan Johnson, “Six Essential Artists and A Lot of Tequila,” Archived 2014-03-03 at the Wayback Machine graphicdesign.com. Accessed December 10, 2013.
  18. ^ Jessica Jupiter, “25 Cool Liquor Bottles Worth Buying For the Bottle Alone,” Complex, June 2, 2013.
  19. ^ Jordan Burchette, “Perks of the Job: 1800 Tequila Essential Artists Bottles,” Archived 2014-03-08 at the Wayback Machine Maxim. Accessed February 27, 2014.
  20. ^ Tim Nudd, “Ad of the Day: Ray Liotta Says It All by Saying Nothing for 1800 Tequila,” Ad Week, October 30, 2013.
  21. ^ Tim Nudd, “Ad of the Day: Michael Imperioli Returns for 1800 Tequila,” Ad Week, May 27, 2011.
  22. ^ Allison Shafir, “Rapper Rick Ross Backs 1800 Tequila,” Ad Week, June 10, 2009.
  23. ^ “1800 Tequila Becomes First Spirits Brand to Sponsor the Los Angeles Lakers,” Marketing Weekly News, August 29, 2009.
  24. ^ Ken Belson, “Knicks Add Tequila to Roster of Sponsors,” The New York Times, October 25, 2010.
  25. ^ Elana Glowatz, “1800 Tequila Inks Deal With L.A. Lakers,” Ad Week, August 13, 2009.

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