Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/504216
may 2015 / the tasting panel / 69 COVER STORY If ethereal Montrachet has the power to transport drinkers to a historic hilltop village in the Côte de Beaune, can fine tequila spirit imbibers away to the sun-warmed, agave-studded fields of Mexico? Tequila Avión founder and Chairman Ken Austin believes it can, as does Pernod Ricard; the French global beverage firm acquired a majority stake in the brand last July. A Brooklyn-born former Senior Vice President for Seagram and founding partner of Marquis Jet (sold to Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets in 2010), Austin developed a deep affinity for the agave-based spirit as a consumer over 20 years ago. Making the leap to building a spirits brand, Austin cites as inspira- tion the legacy of a former employer, the Gallo family enterprise, in transform- ing American attitudes towards wine. "I had a dream to create something lasting, like the Gallo family did," he tells THE TASTING PANEL. IN FULL by Lauren Mowery, D.W.S. FLIGHT PHOTO: DAVID HANDSCHUH AVIoN TEQUILA TAKES ITS CATEGORY TO NEW HEIGHTS -