The Tasting Panel magazine

May 2012

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That opportunity to shift gears presented itself through Riley's racing efforts. While in Baja, Mexico to partici- pate in the Score International Baja 1000 race in 2008, he was introduced to the Sergio Zuñiga family, one of the oldest agave-growing families in Mexico. After a few preliminary meetings and an enlightening tasting session, Riley was prompted to launch Azuñia, a tequila complete with stellar marketing poten- tial and a catchy name (a melding of the Zuñiga name and "azul," the Spanish word for "blue" and a representation of the 100% blue Weber agave used in the tequila process). "Once Azuñia's first cases were in production, I knew I could put the same principals to work that would allow Azuñia to boldly compete as a boutique brand out of Orange County," Riley says. "Its early success is very much a David and Goliath story, as giants like Diageo and Brown-Forman have excel- lent tequila brands of their own. The road ahead is long, full of challenges from a marketing standpoint—getting and keeping the attention of sales reps, grocery chains, restaurateurs, beverage buyers and distributors who have a lot to choose from." Azuñia has undeniably hit the ground running. The three-year-old brand is now in 43 states and in more than 3,500 bars and restaurants nationally. However, to keep the momentum going, Riley is figuratively and literally put- ting his racing gear on and gathering seasoned pit crews to position Azuñia as a future tequila category leader in a variety of race-driven promotions throughout 2012 and 2013. This March, Riley competed in the Mint 400 in downtown Las Vegas, a historic and now revitalized racing event. "Our Mint promotions included night club drink specials at the Golden Nugget Casino [the host property], as well as restaurants Halfshell, Triple George, Hussong's Cantina and Hogs & Heifers Saloon," Riley details. "Beyond promoting the tequila, we wanted to celebrate the way the return of the Mint 400 has brought some of that old-school fun back to Vegas." The 2012 Mint 400's "crown jewel event" took place the night before the race on Freemont Street. All cars, including Riley's Azuñia car, were lined up for the fans, and Azuñia merchan- dise and branding were deftly inte- grated. Beyond the Mint, meanwhile, Azuñia's race to glory continues with its sponsorship of the "Best in the Desert" races and a creative partnership with Mad Media, a Las Vegas–based market- ing video production company that recently acquired the rights to the Mint 400. This relationship dovetails into other sports-related promotions that neatly tie in with the high-octane lifestyle of Orange County. "We want to be creative and irrever- ent," Riley continues. "We are sponsor- ing Hawaiian surfing champion Sunny Garcia, and for the recent Hawaii launch developed a cocktail inspired by him called the "Sunnylicious," incorporating fresh pineapples. We are involved with NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who is now an equity shareholder and involved with the company on a daily basis. This, in turn, is fueling sports-themed drink programs around the country, "skinny" clubhouse cocktails and a Bloody Maria cocktail. With the music scene, we sponsoring local bands and concerts covering various music genres and once again getting involved with the Country Throwdown concert series, featuring Willie Nelson, which was a huge success in 2011." Riley's winning streak with Azuñia definitively continues in arenas nationwide. In Nevada, Azuñia has a strong presence with Stations Casinos, which has fully implemented tequila programs at its Red Rock, Green Valley and Sunset Station properties. In Texas, the Dallas-based On the Border restaurant chain launched the brand into its 163 outlets nationwide. A new brand representative was just hired in Philadelphia to address the demands for Azuñia products in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Chicago-based Tippling Brothers (Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci) have helped the brand gain traction with mixology-focused bars and restaurants in the Midwest. Jim Riley and the Azuñia brand are living life in the fast lane, but doing it at a pace that is strategic and smart. Given that a lot of care has gone into the creation of Azuñia's trio of tequilas that are organic and compatible with the latest fresh-market mixology trends, Riley is determined that his brand will function as a well-oiled machine. may 2012 / the tasting panel / 81 BLUE EYES COCKTAIL by Alverrie Pinto, Mob Bar, Las Vegas ◗ 2 oz. of Azuñia ◗ Platinum Tequila ◗ ½ oz. blue curaçao ◗ ½ oz. agave nectar ◗ 1 oz. pineapple juice ◗ Juice of half a lime ◗ Shake with ice and strain into a Martini glass.

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