The Best-Selling Tequila Brand In The US Beats Don Julio By A Mile

While the tequila boom may be over, the agave-based spirit's popularity is still at an all-time high. Over the past two decades, premiumization and an influx of celebrity-owned and -endorsed tequila brands pushed the spirit from strength to strength, and it's the only traditional liquor that's still experiencing sales growth. However, while luxury tequilas like Don Julio have seen great success in recent years, one brand continues to dominate in terms of sheer volume: Jose Cuervo.

Jose Cuervo remains the top-selling tequila brand in the U.S., consistently outperforming both budget and high-end competitors. According to The Spirits Busines, 8.9 million cases of Jose Cuervo were shifted domestically. This was a 6.4% decrease from the year before, but still more than double the sales volume of second place Don Julio's 4.4 million cases. Still, credit where credit's due — Don Julio's sales were 28% higher than the previous year, proving the increased appeal of quality tequila.

Jose Cuervo benefits from being a well-established legacy brand and a mass-market staple, with a spot in countless high-volume bars up and down the country. While it might not be the sort of tequila you'd want to drink neat, it has its place in cocktails and mixed drinks.

Although premium tequilas like Don Julio may be experiencing stronger growth than Jose Cuervo, there's a number of reasons why it continues to sell. While agave-based spirits have existed for millennia, Jose Cuervo was the first commercially produced tequila and it's than 250 years to gain a foothold in the U.S. market. People are familiar with Jose Cuervo, and when a budget tequila works, there's little reason to change things up.

On the subject of price, it's also worth noting that premium and less well-established tequila brands would simply struggle to compete with Jose Cuervo. It's unlikely a brand like Don Julio will ever overtake Jose Cuervo because they're not competing in the same arena — one is a premium offering while the other is a mass-market product that dominates at scale. Connoisseurs may insist that Jose Cuervo is one of the tequila brands you should skip, but it will always have a place in the booze landscape.