Jose Cuervo is the best-selling brand of tequila in the world. With roots that stretch back to the eighteenth century, it is also the oldest existing tequila producer and is still owned by descendants of the founding family.
José Antonio Cuervo began cultivating agave on land granted to him in 1758 by King Ferdinand VI of Spain in the town of Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco. In 1795, Cuervo’s son, José María Guadalupe Cuervo, received the first license from King Carlos IV to produce vino mezcal de Tequila after a royal ban on commercial production of the agave-based spirit was lifted. Upon José María’s death in 1812, his son-in-law, Vicente Albino Rojas, renamed the family distillery La Rojeña, as the older of Cuervo’s two distilleries is still known. The tequila brand acquired its current name after Jose Cuervo Labastida assumed control of the company in 1900. Jose Cuervo is currently owned by the Beckmann family, further descendants of José Antonio Cuervo, who also took over ownership of the Bushmills Irish whisky brand in 2015.
Jose Cuervo established itself as the leading global tequila brand beginning with its aggressive, advertising-driven courting of the United States market in the mid-1950s; its early promotion of the Margarita helped to establish the drink, which in turn opened more markets for the tequila. See Margarita. Cuervo solidified its position as the leading tequila brand in the 1970s with the explosion in popularity of Cuervo Especial—better known as Cuervo Gold. A mixto tequila colored with caramel, it became the favored fuel for spring breaks and fraternity parties. Since then, Cuervo has extended its mixto line with silver and cinnamon-flavored versions. Other products sold under the Jose Cuervo label include 100 percent agave tequilas distilled at La Rojeña, such as the Tradicional silver and reposado and the Reserva de la Familia extra anejo.
Martineau, Chantal. How the Gringos Stole Tequila: The Modern Age of Mexico’s Most Traditional Spirit. Chicago: Chicago Review, 2015.
By: David Mahoney