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Industry News: “Unfounded and absurd”
Diageo Responds to Class Action Lawsuit Claims against Casamigos Tequila and Tequila Don Julio
From our Partners at DIAGEO:
Diageo has responded in an official interview with Shanken News Daily asserting that the claims they are facing in a class action lawsuit against Casamigos and Don Julio are "unfounded and absurd." Stephen Rust, Diageo's President of U.S. Spirits, stated in the new interview, "This is a deliberate attempt to hurt our brands, hurt our people, hurt our industry... It's fundamentally false and without merit."
The class action lawsuit claims that Casamigos and Don Julio do not meet the advertised standard of being "100% agave" tequila. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, by two consumers and a restaurant, accuses Diageo of adulterating their liquid with alcohol from non-agave sources, while marketing them as 100% agave.
Rust emphasized that the company's tequilas undergo a rigorous certification process by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), which is the only regulatory body authorized by the Mexican government to certify Tequila authenticity. He argued that the plaintiffs' allegations challenge the credibility of regulatory bodies worldwide and stated, “If they have something to offer the CRT, I would encourage them to engage that body and bring their methods forward for peer review.”
Furthermore, Diageo pointed to its significant investments in both its tequila operations and the communities where it operates, reinforcing their commitment to the agave spirit category. Rust concluded, “We believe deeply in this... You will see us continue to invest, and not only for the opportunity in America. We want to bring agave spirits to the world.”