Updates on the Tequila Matchmaker Situation

Plus LuiFern & The Educated Barfly launch a Podcast

AuthorAuthor

Luiz Fernandes & Cam Tieuli
April 05, 2024

Updates on the Grover, Scarlet + Tequila Matchmaker Situation

Image that has been floating around social media lol…

So last week, we released our newsletter covering the raid on Tequila Matchmakers Headquarters and there were a few things that we felt we needed to clear up :

  1. We mentioned in the title that the Mexican Government was going after TMM. To rephrase what we originally had written, the C.R.T is actually an independent organization that is funded by the brands that it oversees—it is not an actual extension of the Mexican government.

    Think of them more as a Government contractor. 

    This image was taken directly from the CRT website



    …And while the Mexican Authorities were in fact the ones that raided Grover & Scarlet’s headquarters—based off of a tip from the CRT (and the CRT were present for the the raid)— it wasn’t like the government itself was after them.


    Does this distinction make a HUGE difference? Possibly not, because at the end of the day, the Mexican Authorities did indeed raid TMM’s headquarters at the behest of the CRT. That is very much true. But, since this is breaking news, we are treating this with a journalistic approach and want to be sure we are being very transparent with the facts.

  2. All of that being said, discovering that the CRT is an independent company and the fact that the brands themselves fund it, certainly validates the extent of influence the largest brands wield over the CRT.

  3. We do not know the full extent of everything that is happening at the moment—a lot of this is merely speculation! This is an evolving story that is super fresh. Could this be the end of Tequila Matchmaker? Maybe, but let’s hope not. From what I have heard, they do plan to fight this in court.

    However, it could be the first domino to fall that could lead to its demise. From what I’ve heard and seen since the initial news came out, is that this raid has way more to do with the fact that Grover & Scarlet were distilling in their headquarters, which they talked about in a blog post from 2020 here, rather than anything to do directly with TMM.

    Oddly, there was another blog post regarding their experiments that is no longer listed on their website. As you can see in the photos below, the blog and the link to “Lotecito” (their experimental tiny batch tequila) are completely gone from the front page of TasteTequila.com

I used the Wayback machine to pull a version of their website from November, 2023

Now, this doesn’t necessarily show us anything other than that given the timing, this is probably linked to the raid, and partially adds up for being the plausible reason that the Mexican authorities decided to confiscate all of their equipment and bottles. If the authorities were under suspicion (which they actually outlined & claimed in their statement) that Grover & scarlet were producing tequila without any oversight, it seems like it would give them reason to raid their headquarters. (I do not understand Mexican law nor claim to be an expert on home distilling laws).

I have heard from many folks that this project was just a pet project and they never sold a bottle of their tiny batch tequila. Do I know that to be true myself? No, I do not. But that’s probably because I only ever spoke with Grover once, very briefly at Tales of the Cocktail, and only for a few minutes.

But what I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around is the apparent intentionality behind all of this. For example, when I was in Mexico a few months ago, I witnessed a man who had an agave distillate in his backyard. How does the CRT not have a problem with that?

AND if the CRT’s issue truly was the fact that Grover & Scarlet were home distilling, wouldn’t they have done something about it years ago, since they have been putting out these blog posts for almost 4 years? Doesn’t the timing strike you as odd?

  1. I shared a post on my IG stories saying how we should pressure our reps and brands to ask questions and demand answers. I admit, I shared that with the best intentions, but after a conversation with someone in the industry, I realized that was a bit misguided on my part.

    As Emma Janzen, reknowned spirits / alcohol writer & award winning author of many MANY awesome books, wrote in her Instagram post:

You’re not going to see a lot of small brands talking about this, because it’s not safe for them to do so. (I have personally been told a handful of stories about how the CRT has pressured and threatened the livelihoods of brands already, blocking shipments to the US and worse). All of this proves how the conversations surrounding additive-free tequila are about so much more than what gets added to a bottle of tequila. It’s about the preservation of tradition, about freedom of production, about freedom of speech, and more. It’s evolving into a definitive moment for the agave spirits industry as a whole.

Emma Janzen (from her IG)

No brands are going to purposely paint targets on their own backs by speaking up, because after all, the CRT still has immense power over the distribution channels, and frankly the continued existence of these brands. Unfortunately, the C.R.T is the only regulator of tequila in Mexico and therefore they hold almost all the power.

I was told by some folks that there is a push to have a second independent regulator for tequila (though, I do not think this would be, or have anything to do with TMM or involve them), but that most likely won’t happen anytime soon.

I have also heard that some smaller brands do not want two regulators, as that would most likely make things more difficult for the brands, which already have to jump through so many hoops just to get their products on shelves. Also, there has apparently been a push for a second independent regulator in the world of Mezcal, but that too, has been slow to gain traction.

Emma Janzen wrote another INCREDIBLE article about how some Mezcal brands are ditching the main regulator altogether, and I think it shines such a great light on some of these problems. One great quote from the article that I found utterly fascinating was this one :

“The only thing clear to us today is that the denomination of origin has hijacked the word mezcal from the people who produce it. We cannot use the word, and we cannot freely express our opinions.”

- Graciela Angeles Carreño, from Real Minero.

  1. I’ve seen a lot of people post #FreeGrover and #FreeTequilaMatchmaker on their stories and posts. Frankly, I think this gives off the wrong message. The main reason being, Grover is not under arrest and Tequila Matchmaker is still up and running (at least, at the time of writing this article). I understand people want to support him (& Scarlet), support TMM, and really cause a bit of a ruckus because they believe in what TMM are doing and stand for (For the record, I wholeheartedly do as well). But the fact of the matter is we can’t be hasty in judgement until we have all of the facts.

    Now, could both of those things change? Possibly.

    I personally believe that the CRT is going after them for the home distilling angle because they couldn’t take down Tequila Matchmaker directly. It seems to me that they are targeting Grover & Scarlet for something slightly unrelated in the hopes that it causes the downfall of TMM by forcing them to spend obscene amounts of money on legal fees. I am no expert, but from speaking to folks in the industry that seems to be the impression I am getting. It feels like a sting operation.

    I do think we all need to take a deep breathe and see how this all pans out. This is all still very fresh and new, and could get very weird, very quickly. Stay tuned.

Providing a quick update on Grover & Scarlet—they are back to posting on social media, and they released the results of their Reposado Blind Taste Test with their tasting panel. So hopefully this means things are relatively back to normal for them? Or at least as normal as things can be, given the situation.

Lui Fernandes & Leandro DiMonriva, from the Educated Barfly Launch A Podcast about Bartenders & the Alcohol Industry

What is it: An audio & video podcast show where Leandro and I talk about the things that matter in Bartending & Alcohol : The People. The Stories. The funny and crazy sh*t that happens in this industry.

We have been working on this podcast for over two months now, recording episodes and taking our time making this the best damn podcast that we can! The podcast will be a video podcast available on YouTube & Spotify. It will also be available as audio only wherever you get your podcasts.

What You Can Expect: We’ll dive into the hottest trends, burning issues, and fascinating stories shaping the alcohol industry, as well as giving our continued perspectives on what it's like to be Behind The Stick. We will also have expert interviews with some of the biggest content creators & figures within the this space.

The goal is to be able to really dive into the industry and to have honest, open conversations about what it’s actually like to create a career in this industry—whether it’s as a content creator, an author, bar owner, or brand owner.

Our First episode with Chris Leavitt (@NotJustABartender) is live now! Chris has been absolutely killing it on social media over the last few years and is such a great guy.

You can watch his episode here:

April Fool’s Day Is the most F*cking irritating day on Alcohol Social Media.

Okay, I know I am at the risk of sounding like the lame, ornery old person complaining about “the latest thing happening on social media,” but hear me out. Every April Fool’s day, brands and social media accounts create the lamest April Fool’s Day “pranks” :

  1. Obnoxious and obviously fake or exaggerated stories and posts that literally no one would fall for, in the hopes of rage baiting engagement.

  2. They create a product that people may actually want and is innovative, but “oh just kidding! this was a lie. Too bad if this is an actual good product and you would want it. Just give us your likes and eye balls!”

And what’s even more annoying, is you can’t post anything serious on April 1st because people think everything is a joke. I posted a video on a Jagerita, which is a margarita made with Jager, and people thought it was a joke…

And then, this one was my fault, I created a TikTok video going over the Tequila Matchmaker saga and posted it at night on April 1st…. Now why would I post a serious video like that on April 1st? Because I’m dumb.

So in that vein, I wanted to talk about actual good April Fool’s Day posts that I genuinely enjoyed, and at least got a little chuckle from :

Lucas Assis did a video talking about Casa Dragones tequila and it was a very well done, seriously satirical video, pointing out all the things wrong with that sorry excuse of a brand. In the video, Lucas pretended that he loved it, and it was convincing! At the end of the day, he did trick his followers, but it provided actual value. And THAT is the key part. People got a chuckle, and he used it as a teachable moment to educate people that Casa Dragones is a bad brand and they should be exposed.

Tequila Arette, created a post talking about how they are launching a Cristalino tequila. This successfully fooled a ton of people because Arette happens to make some of the best artisanal tequila—made in the traditional way— and while Cristalinos are the hot new thing, they are very much a scam, IMO. So, ultimately, they were able to poke fun at something plaguing the industry with their funny post. Good job!

Last Year, Laphroaig launched a ‘perfume’ on April 1st. This was actually hilarious because Laphroaig is undoubtedly one of the peatiest and most pungent scotches with an in your face aroma. So again, well done.

And this year, Scotch tape launched a Scotch whiskey, which is a bit ridiculous and obviously far-fetched, but still funny.

Anyway, if you’re going to do an April Fool’s day joke (which id urge you to not), at least make it funny and have some value.

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