Proximo Spirits

Last updated
Proximo Spirits
Company typePrivate
Industry Distilled beverage
Founded2007
FounderBeckmann family
Headquarters Jersey City, NJ, USA
Area served
International
Key people
Luis Felix
(president and CEO)
Number of employees
100+
Subsidiaries Proximo Spirits UK
Website www.proximospirits.com

Proximo Spirits, Inc., is an American multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in Jersey City, New Jersey. It is a major distributor of tequila and other spirits, it is best known for Jose Cuervo, the world's largest-selling tequila brand. [1]

Contents

Proximo owns over a dozen spirits brands, including Jose Cuervo, 1800 Tequila, Three Olives Vodka, Kraken Black Spiced Rum and Boodles British Gin, as well as craft spirits such as Hangar 1 Vodka and Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. [2]

History

Proximo Spirits was founded in 2007 by the Beckmann family, who also owned and operated Jose Cuervo. [2] In a deal announced in March 2013, Proximo took over the Jose Cuervo distribution rights from Diageo on July 1, 2013. The deal also give Proximo Spirits control over Old Bushmills Distillery. [1] [3] London-based Proximo Spirits UK was launched in July 2013. [4] Both Proximo and Cuervo are controlled by the Beckmann family, [3] descendants of Jose María Guadalupe de Cuervo. [5]

As of 2013, Proximo distributes approximately 6 million total cases per year. [6]

Proximo announced the release of TINCUP whiskey, a partnership with Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey founder Jess Graber, in 2014. [7]

In 2021, Proximo bought a majority stake in Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey, in a deal worth up to $600 million. [8] Proximo acquired Spanish distribution firm Icon Spirits in October 2023, ending its joint venture with Maison Villevert. [9]

Brands

Tequila

Vodka

Rum

Whiskey

Gin

Liqueur

Margaritas

Marketing

Proximo signed marketing agreements with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and the New York Knicks in 2010, to promote 1800 Tequila at their respective stadiums. [13] Proximo's ad campaigns have featured actor Kiefer Sutherland for Jose Cuervo; [14] actor Ray Liotta, actor Michael Imperioli and rapper Rick Ross for 1800 Tequila; [13] [15] [16] actor Clive Owen and rapper Lil' Kim for Three Olives Vodka; [17] [18] and musician Perry Farrell for Maestro Dobel Tequila. [19]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diageo</span> Multinational alcoholic beverages company

Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits. Distilleries owned by Diageo produce 40% of all Scotch whisky with over 24 brands, such as Johnnie Walker, J&B and Old Parr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied Domecq</span> 1994-2005 British alcoholic beverages manufacturer

Allied Domecq PLC was an international company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent but has been acquired by Pernod Ricard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Bushmills Distillery</span> Distillery in Northern Ireland

The Old Bushmills Distillery is an alcohol distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, founded in 1784 and owned by Proximo Spirits. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush. The distillery is a popular tourist attraction, with around 120,000 visitors per year. It produces the Bushmills brand of Irish whiskey.

A master blender is an individual who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics. For example, in the Scotch whisky industry, master blenders choose which single malts and grain whiskies to combine to make particular brands of blended whisky. A master blender is not the same thing as a master distiller, although one person may do both jobs at small craft distilleries. As the name suggests, the blender creates blends using spirits from different casks and is responsible for making sure the product remains consistent across different batches, while the distiller is either directly responsible for the mashing and distilling of spirits or simply holds the title as the administrative and marketing figurehead of the company.

Jose Cuervo is the best-selling brand of tequila, selling a fifth of the tequila consumed worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tullamore Dew</span> Brand of Irish whiskey

Tullamore Dew, rendered in most branding as Tullamore D.E.W., is a brand of Irish whiskey produced by William Grant & Sons. It is the second-largest-selling brand of Irish whiskey globally, with sales of over 1,500,000 cases per annum as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Distillers</span>

Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard. It is the largest distiller of Irish whiskey, distilling popular brands such as Jameson and Powers, in addition to premium whiskeys such as Redbreast and Midleton Very Rare. In addition to whiskey, Irish Distillers also produces a number of other spirit products such as gin and vodka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulleit Bourbon</span> Brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey

Bulleit Bourbon is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at the Bulleit Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky and the Bulleit Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, owned by the Diageo beverage conglomerate. It is characterized by a high rye content for a bourbon and being aged at least six years. It is bottled at 45% abv for the US, Canadian, British, Dutch and Mexican markets. For Australian and Danish markets, it is bottled at 40% abv. It is also sold in Germany, Norway and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey</span>

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is a 94 proof, small batch whiskey distilled in Denver, Colorado. Stranahan's was the first modern microdistillery to legally make whiskey in Colorado, and an early craft whiskey distiller in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Julio</span> Brand of tequila produced in Mexico

Don Julio is a brand of tequila produced in Mexico. It is the largest brand in value and eighth largest in volume. Its owned by the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker Diageo. It is distilled, manufactured and bottled by Tequila Don Julio, S.A. de C.V. from its corporate facility in the Colonia El Chichimeco district, in the city of Atotonilco El Alto, Jalisco, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauza Tequila</span> Company

Sauza Tequila Import Company is a producer of tequila located in Tequila, a municipality of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It was founded in 1873 when Don Cenobio Sauza started La Perseverancia distillery. Sauza Tequila Import Company is owned by Beam Suntory, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Their products include Sauza, Conmemorativo, Hornitos and Tres Generaciones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1800 Tequila</span>

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sazerac Company</span> Alcoholic drinks company based in New Orleans, US

Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.

Benjamin Prichard's Tennessee Whiskey is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced in the small community of Kelso, Tennessee in the United States. Although it is produced by one of only two distilleries operating in Lincoln County – and its unaged variation is named Lincoln County Lightning – Prichard's is not produced using the Lincoln County Process. Due to a special grandfathering exemption under a Tennessee law enacted in 2013, the Prichard's distillery in Kelso is the only producer allowed to label its product as "Tennessee Whiskey" without using this process. Prichard's whiskey is produced entirely using pot stills rather than column stills.

Beam Suntory, Inc. is an American-founded, Japanese multinational company that produces alcoholic beverages. It is a subsidiary of Suntory, based in Osaka, Japan.

St. George Spirits is an artisanal distillery located in Alameda, California that produces a range of alcoholic beverages under the direction of Master Distiller Lance Winters. They are known for producing vodka, absinthe, whiskey, gin, brandy, liqueurs, and a range of exotic spirits.

MGP Ingredients, Inc. is a distilled spirits and food ingredients producer with headquarters in Atchison, Kansas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maestro Dobel Tequila</span> Mexican brand of blended tequila

Maestro Dobel Tequila is a Mexican brand of blended tequila owned by the Beckmann Family, who also own the Jose Cuervo tequila brand. Maestro Dobel is distributed by Proximo Spirits.

Master distiller is a title often used for a distilling expert or a key leader or owner at modern distilleries. The title doesn't have a fixed definition and can mean different things at different companies. Although the craft of distilling has existed for centuries throughout history, the term "master distiller" only dates back as far as the 1800s when it was first used to acknowledge the distilling expertise and knowledge a person gained after practicing and perfecting the craft of distilling for many years. In more recent usage, the term can have a much broader meaning and is sometimes used for owners and company leaders who run their companies but do not actively create the distilling recipes and processes used at their distilleries.

References

  1. 1 2 Noreen O'Leary, “Jose Cuervo Shifts U.S. Agencies,” Ad Week , July 1, 2013.
  2. 1 2 David Lincoln Ross, “Tequila All Around,” Archived 2014-02-23 at archive.today Beverage Dynamics, May 2013.
  3. 1 2 E.J. Schultz, “McCann Wins Cuervo as Tequila Leaves Diageo in U.S.,” Advertising Age , July 1, 2003.
  4. Felicity Murray, “Rob Curteis joins Proximo Spirits UK,” The Drinks Report, August 29, 2013.
  5. Dana Cimilluca, Paul Sonne and Simon Zekaria, “Diageo Ends Its Attempt to Buy Jose Cuervo Tequila,” Wall Street Journal , December 11, 2012.
  6. Andy Young, “Proximo to Take Over Cuervo’s US Distribution,” The Drinks Business, March 4, 2013.
  7. Hopkins, Amy (2014-01-20). "Proximo targets Bourbon lovers with Tincup". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  8. Smith, Christian (2021-04-28). "Conor McGregor sells majority of Proper No. Twelve to Proximo Spirits". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  9. Carruthers, Nicola (2023-10-19). "Proximo Spirits takes control of Spanish distributor". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  10. Jeffries Blackerby, “Blithe Spirits,” New York Times Magazine , November 11, 2011.
  11. Amy Hopkins, “Proximo Targets Bourbon Lovers With Tincup,” The Spirits Business, January 20, 2014.
  12. Seáneen Sullivan, “Conor McGregor’s new whiskey: A taste test,” The Irish Times , September 20, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Ken Belson, “Knicks Add Tequila to Roster of Sponsors,” New York Times , October 25, 2010.
  14. Sam Thielman, “Ad of the Day: Kiefer Sutherland Sells It In Noir for Jose Cuervo,” Ad Week, August 7, 2013.
  15. Tim Nudd, “Ad of the Day: Ray Liotta Says It All by Saying Nothing for 1800 Tequila,” Ad Week, October 30, 2013.
  16. Allison Shafir, “Rapper Rick Ross Backs 1800 Tequila,” Ad Week, June 10, 2009.
  17. Becky Paskin, “Clive Owen Stars in $20M Three Olives Vodka Adverts,” The Spirits Business, January 29, 2013.
  18. Rose Lilah, “Lil’ Kim Signs a Deal with Three Olives Vodka,” Archived 2014-03-01 at the Wayback Machine Hot New Hip Hop, August 11, 2010.
  19. Deidre Woollard, “Summer Recipes Featuring Maestro Dobel Tequila,” The Pursuitist. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  20. Kiely, Melita (2 August 2023). "The American Whiskey Masters 2023 results". The Spirits Business. Retrieved 2 February 2024.