What a blow to the tequila world. Tequila matchmaker was the primary reason I actually started to enjoy good tequila. Too much garbage out there and not enough money to waste to be able to stiff out all the sub par bottles.
I love your videos & respect your tastings. 2 of my favorite tequilas are Socorro & Bandero. I don't think you have tasted them?? Could you please tell me what you think.
You nailed it when you mentioned that the big corporations are losing sales. When you pay a billion dollars for something you aren't looking for a fall in sales!
It makes sense when you think about their model. The higher volume producers are going to be giving the most money to the CRT, so they probably feel they can pressure the CRT to make these changes.
Ummm.. they are a government agency. Government agencies do not care about accurate. Government agencies care about CYA... be that by feeding their families, or be that by having good contacts. Nobody does a government job like this for the health Benefits. They do it for the stepping stone opportunity.
So...with that being said...I will just stick to your recommendations, which I have made a list. Once again it's not about the quality it's about the money. It is NOT your fault; all you did was make sure we know where the quality is. I love your channel. Thank you for teaching me about tequila. It's a new journey for me. (I'm a scotch and bourbon lover.)
The only ones that are complaining is those big tequila brands! Me as a consumer I want to know what I’m drinking, just like any other pro other products that are consumed. Also I will only support 100% pure Agave free of additives! And soon I will start a movement to only support those Tequila makers that pay a fair price to the Agave producers. We will be collecting information from all producers about how much they were paid for their Agave and also if they had to deal with a middle man or directly with the Tequila makers! We will be communicating directly with our Mexican government about this issues and most likely they will be some changes with the CRT just how we are making changes in our Judicial System. I will ask You to please continue to give honest information about the Tequila brands cause We want to know exactly what we’re drinking. Thank You for your great and honest work!
Thanks for the update Lui! I’ve always found your content to be a great source of information presented in an entertaining way. Please keep up the good work.
Very unfortunate! TMM is a great resource and has helped me in a big way to learn about tequilas good and bad. Corruption is everywhere and I don't doubt it is present in the CRT and influenced by the big producers who dominate in the industry. Thanks Lui for what you do and thanks to others like yourself who share this type of content.
I LOVE your channel. UPDATE: It seems Park Street Imports, the importer of Fortaleza, is supplying more Fortaleza to outlets that are charging MSRP (Which was always Guillermo's wish) and Not supplying the vendors who price gouge. The MSRP did go up about 5 months ago. I bought 5 bottles in the last 2 days and a bottle a week ago at a vendor who charged me $56.99 for the Fortaleza Blanco and $66.99 for the Reposado. I still haven't found the Still strength nor the Anejo except for the few vendors that gouge for it. (Fortaleza Anejo now at $97.99 MSRP.) Some wanting $200.00 or more for the Anejo. (They can just go pound sand!) So, Good news! More availability at an MSRP price. I don't anticipate any sales on Fortaleza - limited supply of an amazing tequila! P.S. The CRT NEEDS to label ALL MIXTOS AS MIXTOS and quit calling them tequila! (Cough, Jose Cuervo, Souza, Cough.) Truth in labeling.
about a month ago I was randomly signed out of my TMM account, and upon singing back in I found that all of the ratings on my page had been erased.. lost all of my 150+ ratings and reviews I've made over the last 2 years smh
I work in a liquor store. I educate my customers about their choices & they buy "name brands" and will try one of my suggestions..... 98% of the time they repurchase my suggestion or ask for more recommendations from me. Nice good tequila from $25/liter up..... But still cheaper & tastier than the pretty bottles with not so great juice.
Thanks for posting this. Your channel has been invaluable to me as my appreciation for quality tequilas has grown, and my reference of TM has guided my choices for the best values in additive-free available locally. Your reporting about the influence of conglomerate distilleries in quashing accurate information to the average consumer is discouraging. Please keep us informed!
Sincerely I appreciate all of your content. I personally have taken some of your suggestions on tequila selections and even, wavered from wasting money on brands like Casamigos & the like. Keep on doing you do!! 😉
Thank you for this. Been following your channel for years now, because you offer good info about tequila- a spirit that I wasn't that familiar with. And in my quest for knowledge about tequila, I also found Tequila Matchmaker which I found to be a wealth of information. I was unaware of the drama between the CRT and Tequila Matchmaker. Hopefully, this will not prevent Tequila Matchmaker from continuing to deliver unbiased information about tequila brands. Because, really, I just want to drink tequila- not chemicals.
The big tequila companies and their apologists are literally “shooting the messenger” as to consumer rights and transparency. The first night my spouse and I had additive free tequila, Lalo, we followed it up with some Don Julio (my old favorite) and both instantly thought it was a bad batch it tasted so wrong . My eyes had been opened thanks to people like Luis and tequila matchmaker. The genie is out of the bottle. There’s no going back and it’s up to those companies to step up to win consumers back, not attack the media that exposed them.
I'm glad you chose not to take a stance one way of the other on the AF controversy. I say let the consumers and video bloggers like you interact and form their own opinions on what they like.
Hey Lui, thank you for that update. I was wondering why Tequilamatchmaker was rehashed. I have been trying out Additive free brands that you recommended on previous vids. Thanks to you and TM i will continue do enjoy them. Youre favourite brands have become mine also. The industry needs ambassadors like yourself. Keep up the good work.!!
Thanks for all the honesty and FANTASTIC recommendations you have given over the last couple years, Lui! Thanks to you (and others...but mostly you) I have tried well over 50 great and wonderful Tequilas. From El Tesoro, El Tequileno and G4 to Lagrimas Del Valle, Volans and Wild Common. Hope you continue to educate the world about AMAZING Additive Free Tequila and just Quality Tequila all around! Salud!🥃✌
Thanks Lui. Not everyone wants to drink the same spirit. I personally hate being deceived or lied to and you’re one of my sources of tequila truth. I’ll be in Mazatlan tomorrow and hunting for some beauties. Blessings
Oh ....and its very simple why this was done to Tequila Matchmaker .....follow the $$$ ......The big boys were getting hurt by the " additive free labels "
Great video. And don't forget - Patron can still say they are CRT - approved additive free. So, I suppose all of these small craft brands that we all love just need to start making Patron kind of money, and they can get the AF marking as well.
This isn't a crackdown, it's all dirty tactics. Clearly, the larger brands are filling the pockets of those in the CRT. VS the big brands actually making their tequila the right way, as it should be enjoyed, they are trying to muscle out the smaller brands who are making tequila the right way.
The CRTs job is to make sure companies are producing tequila. Making sure it meets all the production criteria/rules set forth by the Norma. Making sure a blanco is a blanco, a reposado is a reposado, etc. One of the production criteria is to regulate the amount of additives or abocantes in the tequila. However, they do not test for this or even attempt to educate the consumer as to what is being put in the tequila. Once Tequila Matchmaker started testing the brands and people started to move in a direction to buy additive free brands, it hit the big players right in the pocket. Profits were lost and subsequently the CRT had to shut it down. I'm sure a few arms were twisted to make them do it. Shame on them!
It's disgraceful what the CRT have done. The right move would have been to get the distilleries making tequila with additives in, to clean up their act so they can join the additive free list.
I was wondering what was going on with the additive free stickers. I’ve always appreciated your recommendations and will continue to take your advice. Because of your info I’ve become educated on tequila and how to spot quality. I was raised in Mexico and had no idea about the intricacies of tequila. I have a cabinet stocked with Los Abuelos and Fortaleza among my favorites. Friends ask me about recommendations based of the platform you set for me to delve deeper into the understanding. Thank you for what you’ve done and continue to do.
What is sad is that Tequila will turn into the wild west again. It could turn into an 'IYKYK' situation, with all the real good brands obscured by rumors and hearsay, she-said-they-said, etc. I wonder how you feel about this, Lui. I also have to appreciate you for being the only one talking about this situation. Sadly a lot of social media personalities have still not said anything...
@@ILuvRum Yeah, a scary possibility. It could be argued that a lot of the recent additive free brands specifically came up to satiate the new market. They could all disappear...
Crazy stuff...I think the crt was once considering some sort of labeling about additives. Did a complete turn around. I've only known about the af stuff going on for about 3 years...first thing I thought was the big boys will not like it at all.
Interesting. I think many tequila drinkers want to know “what’s in the bottle” beyond agave. This channel enhanced my exploration and education into the tequila spirit. Now, has there been any rumors of a regulation along the lines of the german beer Reinheitsgebot?
I wish there was a tequila matchmaker for rum. What you can add to rum and get away with in certain area is crazy. Go look at how Myers is really made and you’ll be shocked.
So I follow a lot of different spirit/mixology channels. I have a couple of "whiskey channels." I have several "cocktail" channels. I have a "rum channel." And you are my "tequila channel." Thank you for providing the content and information that has helped me elevate my knowledge and appreciation for tequila, mezcal and things related to those.
Love TMM. For me it was the opposite. Finding TMM got me more interested in tequila and then I branched out to TH-cam. Can’t blame the big brands for getting upset if they’re missing out in market growth. But I wouldn’t be buying as much if it weren’t for TMM and shows like yours.
11:09 that’s why I was watching videos where you would mention the sticker then I’d look at my arette bottle with no sticker and be like “well mine doesn’t have a sticker wtf”
thank you for enlightening us for the last few years. you have truly made a difference. the consumer deserves to know the truth. screw the mexican bureaucracy and their bs! keep it up Lui!
It's basically like big pharma has become big tequila. Ibought some tequila at Specs yesterday and they had labels beside their prices "organic" "additive free" so props to Soecs ❤
Thanks to you Lui, Tequila Hombre and Lou Agave, we all have a pretty good idea what brands and NOM's produce clean, quality tequila. If you spend your money on additive laden stuff, that's on you and your ignorance or just lack of education.
Great intel, Lui, thanks! Did the CRT specifically state their issue w TM's designations? Bad for biz is not an excuse. Guessing their diplomatic response is since it's not a regulated, govt body it can't be trusted which we all know is bullshit. With their interests obvious, who's gonna trust them and if this silences TM, won't there be another right behind them testing in their kitchens and garages and posting their findings on youtube?
There was clearly a retreat from the CRT itself, which was going to create its own label. We suspect the reason for the change in attitude. There is great pressure from big industry. The truth is that all ingredients used in production should be on the label, with more or less than 1%.
One or the main argument that the CRT made was that Casa Lotecito was producing "adulterated" Tequila. The label of all Lotecito batches never had on the label the word Tequila, they clearly had on the label the words agave spirit. So, in legal practice they never produced Tequila. Lotecito was a great project to learn from it. Hope we can see Casa Lotecito back, maybe in the USA? :)
One thing I really hope. Non-editive tequila brands continue to put out non-editive tequila and we still will buy it. And I think more We buy non-editive real tequila, Eventually big companies will come around. Just because they are going to keep on losing money. And we all thank you and other content creators pointing out to us tequilas that has no additive, it is important to me and I'm pretty sure it is important to other people, because they taste good and I want to spend my money on something that it's real, honest and done right way.
In a nutshell it all comes to money! The big companies didn't like losing profits. Here's the answer, (looking at you Casa Amigos) Make better tequila and we won't have this problem...
Hey Lui! Just curious, as a matter of your work, you probably have to drink a lot of tequila. Do you end up working up a tolerance to lower amounts of alcohol? Do you have to limit tastings / video recordings / etc to certain days of the week? How can you remain so productive while also needing to consume alcohol as a part of your job? Love the content, hope the question doesn't come off as bad-intentioned. Just wanna know how the process works, you're clearly a man of good health.
This is so sad because TMM has been such a resourceful medium for someone new to the tequila scene. Its hard to know what to obtain as a consumer without these tools. A governing body preventing transparency is directly interfering with a free market. This is not good for any product, consumer, or manufacturer. I will also say i have meet some people who will not drink due to the absence of transparency. This resistance slows progress of those willing adopters who just want a clearer picture.
Glad AFA is continuing as a non-profit. Definitely not discounting the possibility of big corps influencing the CRT crackdown. On the other hand I feel like a regulatory agency wouldn't really want anyone to be able to print and send additive free stickers/labels to distillers. If random health blogs started printing and sending "peanut free" labels to food brands without FDA approval I'd hope they would have an issue with it.
@@o.o-vt1rc well yeah regulatory capture is going to happen in any capitalist country. That’s why I said I’m open to the idea big corps are influencing the crackdown
So this is something I got wrong. It was TMM that was sending stickers. This was the brands themselves doing it apparently to standout on shelves. It's a correction indeed to clarify in a future video.
A British Conglomerate buys, adds synthetic agave & distributes Don Julio & we’re supposed to be surprised they want to shut quality tequila down. More of the same happening here
That is freakin hilarious. I will forever know Jose Cuervo as the Uwe Boll of the tequila industry lmao. What you should of said was them getting mad at you and blaming you content creators for reporting this is like if it was raining and the weather news reported it and someone said it was their fault for it raining too much lol
Thanks Lui, this was great, very informative, you’d make a good journalist if shit hits the fan with your current occupation 😂 Question, what did CRT use as an argument for having all brands remove information about additives? Feels like we know the honest answer, but they couldn’t have used that publicly
Nooo.. It's not your fault! Garbage water is garbage water. If that's what you like in your glass go for it.... But KNOW what is in your glass. Educate yourself!
CRT can come knocking on my door because I will be educating people at my store about the tequila they should be buying over the overhyped Casamigos and Don Julio.
Come on, it's Mexico. It's all about the money. Anything that hurts the sales of all the big name brands like Patron, Don Julio, Cuervo, Casamigos is gonna have to be shut down. All these companies probably pay the most to the CRT. So if their profits go down, so does the money that CRT gets!!
Here is my point of view: Tequila Matchmaker became an unofficial enterprise and “regulatory” body of a product that is regulated by the Mexican government. How did they test the tequila? What was their process of “detecting” additives? Who allowed them to rate or define which brands of tequila should be considered “additive free” is they never tested all of the tequilas? Why were they using a logo as if that was a “official” seal of guarantee? Also, distilling tequila - even in very small quantities without license - is illegal, so without knowing because they maybe never investigated, they committed a federal crime. I guess they should’ve asked the government for guidance and permission. They could’ve also keep their ratings as a matter of suggestion “unofficially” rather than to try to “certify” - with not known methods - that a tequila had or not additives. I guess that the Mexican government didn’t like the idea of a private enterprise taking or basically usurping their place. Why? Because all tequilas are allowed by law to use some additives which are used in many other alcoholic beverages to correct flavor, aroma, and color, with a maximum amount of 1% of the total weight of the Tequila before bottling. Now, Tequila is not the only spirit that uses additives. Most whiskeys, Scotches, Brandies, etc also use additives. Hopefully, the Mexican government will force the companies to add the “additive free” on their label to those tequilas which don’t have additives. The rest of the alcohol producing industry should follow that too.
1. I love that you have a Manchester United pin on your apron 😀 2. This whole Tequila Matchmaker vs. CRT thing (looking at it from Finland) makes me think of Mexico as an even more undemocratic country. The CRT is acting like a criminal organisation. Maybe that's what the C stands for... I admire you for keeping this topic on people's minds. And to those who say content creators are the cause of all this... sigh...
Tequila makers called their pimp to make a scene. When a regulatory agency is paid for by the companies they regulate, they are nothing more than a pimp. The more money the companies make the more money that the regulatory agency makes. This is nothing more than one trick yelling to her pimp "are you going to let that other trick talk trash about me? I make you more money"
I wonder if other methods of getting the point across will still be allowed. It's one reason I love Caballito Cerrero. "Ingredients: Agave, Water" Also gives more insight into that brand just not wanting to be part of the CRT. Hope they don't see trouble. P.S. Lui you skipped past your tasting of this gem far too quickly in a previous video.
If the CRT do not control the Industry, cut out brands who are obviously in there for the moohlah... this spirit will eventually be flushed down the drain. A common problem when everybody is in a feeding frenzy without any long-term and sustainable guardrails to ensure the relevancy of this unique Mexican Spirit
TMM also started to turn into this pay to play system. A lot of people you included would just treat everything that didn’t have the TMM stamp as tequila with additives. I’m on the TMM side personally but I also saw decent tequila treated as if it was garbage because it didn’t have the sticker. Whether creators were being paid to do that or were just doing for content is a whole other conversation. Something like that could fly in the US but you can’t do that in Mexico. Everything is already pay to play there. Look at what’s happening to mezcal. The fact that real minero can’t call their sprit mezcal is ridiculous.
God forbid consumers actually know if what they're ingesting is loaded with additives or not... The CRT is a joke and big brands are a bunch of straight up 🤡's. This makes me want to stay away from their nasty swill even more.
I am almost sure the brands that have additive had something to do with it, cause they are probably not selling well. We know who they are and they won’t get my business.
That was inadvertently TMM's fault. With the stickers, bottle tags, and shelf labels TMM made available to the retailers, it makes sense that the other brands would do the same to create confusion for those that know nothing about additive free tequila. Total Wine do anything to protect their house and Spirits Direct brands.
Lui, you spoke about the raid by the CRT on Tequila Matchmaker. You brought up declining sales from some brands and used Casamigos as an example. You brought up the “additive free” list on Matchmaker, but you declined to put a bow on all the elements in your podcast. I know for a fact that Clooney sold the Casamigos brands for a lot of money. While you don’t come out and say it, it seems evident that the CRT is protecting brands that have been exposed for using additives in their tequila. Those of us who are tequila aficionados deserve to have the information necessary to make informed choices. Luckily, primarily because of Tequila Matchmaker and you, I already know who does and who doesn’t use additives; I feel sorry for those distillers who are, or were, in the process of becoming a member of the “additive free” list.
What a blow to the tequila world. Tequila matchmaker was the primary reason I actually started to enjoy good tequila. Too much garbage out there and not enough money to waste to be able to stiff out all the sub par bottles.
I love your videos & respect your tastings. 2 of my favorite tequilas are Socorro & Bandero. I don't think you have tasted them?? Could you please tell me what you think.
Please continue to educate us. Good alcohol is expensive and i don’t want to waste my time on something that isn’t good or has additives.
You nailed it when you mentioned that the big corporations are losing sales. When you pay a billion dollars for something you aren't looking for a fall in sales!
It's crazy to me that the CRT is so opposed to accurate consumer information.
It makes sense when you think about their model. The higher volume producers are going to be giving the most money to the CRT, so they probably feel they can pressure the CRT to make these changes.
Ummm.. they are a government agency. Government agencies do not care about accurate. Government agencies care about CYA... be that by feeding their families, or be that by having good contacts. Nobody does a government job like this for the health Benefits. They do it for the stepping stone opportunity.
Its Mexico, it's always all about the money.
As openly corrupt as Mexico is, this was bound to happen when the big boys got together and paid for it.
Money controls CRT
Sounds just like Big Tobacco.
So...with that being said...I will just stick to your recommendations, which I have made a list. Once again it's not about the quality it's about the money. It is NOT your fault; all you did was make sure we know where the quality is. I love your channel. Thank you for teaching me about tequila. It's a new journey for me. (I'm a scotch and bourbon lover.)
The only ones that are complaining is those big tequila brands! Me as a consumer I want to know what I’m drinking, just like any other pro other products that are consumed. Also I will only support 100% pure Agave free of additives! And soon I will start a movement to only support those Tequila makers that pay a fair price to the Agave producers. We will be collecting information from all producers about how much they were paid for their Agave and also if they had to deal with a middle man or directly with the Tequila makers! We will be communicating directly with our Mexican government about this issues and most likely they will be some changes with the CRT just how we are making changes in our Judicial System. I will ask You to please continue to give honest information about the Tequila brands cause We want to know exactly what we’re drinking. Thank You for your great and honest work!
Amen to that !!! Freedom of choice!!
thank you for bringing attention to this topic. we need less artificial additives in all our food and drinks. cheers!
Thanks for the update Lui! I’ve always found your content to be a great source of information presented in an entertaining way. Please keep up the good work.
I appreciate that! Thank you
Very unfortunate! TMM is a great resource and has helped me in a big way to learn about tequilas good and bad. Corruption is everywhere and I don't doubt it is present in the CRT and influenced by the big producers who dominate in the industry. Thanks Lui for what you do and thanks to others like yourself who share this type of content.
I LOVE your channel. UPDATE: It seems Park Street Imports, the importer of Fortaleza, is supplying more Fortaleza to outlets that are charging MSRP (Which was always Guillermo's wish) and Not supplying the vendors who price gouge. The MSRP did go up about 5 months ago.
I bought 5 bottles in the last 2 days and a bottle a week ago at a vendor who charged me $56.99 for the Fortaleza Blanco and $66.99 for the Reposado. I still haven't found the Still strength nor the Anejo except for the few vendors that gouge for it. (Fortaleza Anejo now at $97.99 MSRP.) Some wanting $200.00 or more for the Anejo. (They can just go pound sand!)
So, Good news! More availability at an MSRP price. I don't anticipate any sales on Fortaleza - limited supply of an amazing tequila!
P.S. The CRT NEEDS to label ALL MIXTOS AS MIXTOS and quit calling them tequila! (Cough, Jose Cuervo, Souza, Cough.) Truth in labeling.
You can't expect other countries to behave as you wish. We can get our own country to act right.
I'm in CA, and We can't get Fortaleza anywhere. :( At least you can get it.
Thanks!
Thanks for covering this buddy, I was waiting and hoping you would.
about a month ago I was randomly signed out of my TMM account, and upon singing back in I found that all of the ratings on my page had been erased.. lost all of my 150+ ratings and reviews I've made over the last 2 years smh
I work in a liquor store. I educate my customers about their choices & they buy "name brands" and will try one of my suggestions..... 98% of the time they repurchase my suggestion or ask for more recommendations from me. Nice good tequila from $25/liter up..... But still cheaper & tastier than the pretty bottles with not so great juice.
Have you tried to contact Grover?
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks for posting this. Your channel has been invaluable to me as my appreciation for quality tequilas has grown, and my reference of TM has guided my choices for the best values in additive-free available locally. Your reporting about the influence of conglomerate distilleries in quashing accurate information to the average consumer is discouraging. Please keep us informed!
Sincerely I appreciate all of your content. I personally have taken some of your suggestions on tequila selections and even, wavered from wasting money on brands like Casamigos & the like. Keep on doing you do!! 😉
Too late we know now. People will talk and educate each other.
You guys keep us informed and we will support you.
Keep it up Lui! Good luck with the rebrand. The menu looks amazing
Thank you brother! Really appreciate that 😁 things have been going really well with the rebrand so far! Very excited for the next steps 😁🙏🏼
Lui, always exceptional content and always very informative. 👏👏
Thank you for this. Been following your channel for years now, because you offer good info about tequila- a spirit that I wasn't that familiar with. And in my quest for knowledge about tequila, I also found Tequila Matchmaker which I found to be a wealth of information. I was unaware of the drama between the CRT and Tequila Matchmaker. Hopefully, this will not prevent Tequila Matchmaker from continuing to deliver unbiased information about tequila brands. Because, really, I just want to drink tequila- not chemicals.
The big tequila companies and their apologists are literally “shooting the messenger” as to consumer rights and transparency.
The first night my spouse and I had additive free tequila, Lalo, we followed it up with some Don Julio (my old favorite) and both instantly thought it was a bad batch it tasted so wrong . My eyes had been opened thanks to people like Luis and tequila matchmaker. The genie is out of the bottle. There’s no going back and it’s up to those companies to step up to win consumers back, not attack the media that exposed them.
I'm glad you chose not to take a stance one way of the other on the AF controversy. I say let the consumers and video bloggers like you interact and form their own opinions on what they like.
Best news I've heard all day @ 09:08.
Love you brother keep telling the truth. Just got in to tequila love your content
Thank you! Will do!
As bad as it is, this makes what you're doing all that more important. Great vid. Thanks.
Hey Lui, thank you for that update. I was wondering why Tequilamatchmaker was rehashed.
I have been trying out Additive free brands that you recommended on previous vids. Thanks to you and TM i will continue do enjoy them. Youre favourite brands have become mine also. The industry needs ambassadors like yourself. Keep up the good work.!!
You didn't get it wrong. I'm glad you let us know how the industry operates. FYI Costco had Tequila Ocho Reposado for sale today.
Hey Lui...Thanks for clearing that up ....
Thanks for all the honesty and FANTASTIC recommendations you have given over the last couple years, Lui! Thanks to you (and others...but mostly you) I have tried well over 50 great and wonderful Tequilas. From El Tesoro, El Tequileno and G4 to Lagrimas Del Valle, Volans and Wild Common. Hope you continue to educate the world about AMAZING Additive Free Tequila and just Quality Tequila all around! Salud!🥃✌
Thanks Lui. Not everyone wants to drink the same spirit. I personally hate being deceived or lied to and you’re one of my sources of tequila truth. I’ll be in Mazatlan tomorrow and hunting for some beauties. Blessings
Thanks for the update. I’ve learned sooooo much from your videos.
Oh ....and its very simple why this was done to Tequila Matchmaker .....follow the $$$ ......The big boys were getting hurt by the " additive free labels "
Great video. And don't forget - Patron can still say they are CRT - approved additive free. So, I suppose all of these small craft brands that we all love just need to start making Patron kind of money, and they can get the AF marking as well.
This isn't a crackdown, it's all dirty tactics. Clearly, the larger brands are filling the pockets of those in the CRT. VS the big brands actually making their tequila the right way, as it should be enjoyed, they are trying to muscle out the smaller brands who are making tequila the right way.
Its extortion at its best... So incredibly sad 😢😭
The CRTs job is to make sure companies are producing tequila. Making sure it meets all the production criteria/rules set forth by the Norma. Making sure a blanco is a blanco, a reposado is a reposado, etc. One of the production criteria is to regulate the amount of additives or abocantes in the tequila. However, they do not test for this or even attempt to educate the consumer as to what is being put in the tequila. Once Tequila Matchmaker started testing the brands and people started to move in a direction to buy additive free brands, it hit the big players right in the pocket. Profits were lost and subsequently the CRT had to shut it down. I'm sure a few arms were twisted to make them do it. Shame on them!
It's disgraceful what the CRT have done. The right move would have been to get the distilleries making tequila with additives in, to clean up their act so they can join the additive free list.
Lol that would cost money. People like sweet tequila vs real agave flavors.
interesting update and fascinating content..blaming Lui is like blaming the weather report for the weather.
Profits over people! Some things never change! smh.
Makes you wonder if a certain group has their hands in the "older, more established" brands. Cartel? 🤔
You are very right person at all... All the best wishes for
I was wondering what was going on with the additive free stickers. I’ve always appreciated your recommendations and will continue to take your advice. Because of your info I’ve become educated on tequila and how to spot quality. I was raised in Mexico and had no idea about the intricacies of tequila. I have a cabinet stocked with Los Abuelos and Fortaleza among my favorites. Friends ask me about recommendations based of the platform you set for me to delve deeper into the understanding. Thank you for what you’ve done and continue to do.
What is sad is that Tequila will turn into the wild west again. It could turn into an 'IYKYK' situation, with all the real good brands obscured by rumors and hearsay, she-said-they-said, etc. I wonder how you feel about this, Lui. I also have to appreciate you for being the only one talking about this situation. Sadly a lot of social media personalities have still not said anything...
What's really sad is this will remove most of the reason to produce good high-quality tequila.
@@ILuvRum Yeah, a scary possibility. It could be argued that a lot of the recent additive free brands specifically came up to satiate the new market. They could all disappear...
Crazy stuff...I think the crt was once considering some sort of labeling about additives. Did a complete turn around.
I've only known about the af stuff going on for about 3 years...first thing I thought was the big boys will not like it at all.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Keep being YOU
Thanks for sharing this great information Brother 😎✌️! Your Homie James Tucson Arizona Desert 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
Interesting. I think many tequila drinkers want to know “what’s in the bottle” beyond agave. This channel enhanced my exploration and education into the tequila spirit. Now, has there been any rumors of a regulation along the lines of the german beer Reinheitsgebot?
I wish there was a tequila matchmaker for rum. What you can add to rum and get away with in certain area is crazy. Go look at how Myers is really made and you’ll be shocked.
Have you reviewed E.Cuarenta Blanco Tequila 750
So I follow a lot of different spirit/mixology channels. I have a couple of "whiskey channels." I have several "cocktail" channels. I have a "rum channel." And you are my "tequila channel." Thank you for providing the content and information that has helped me elevate my knowledge and appreciation for tequila, mezcal and things related to those.
Had some of the capo azul 1940 repo in a bar in Andreas after visiting El Pandillo. Pretty good juice
We should not have to drop $$$$ to find out a tequila is filled with additives. Appreciate your honest incite.
Love TMM. For me it was the opposite. Finding TMM got me more interested in tequila and then I branched out to TH-cam. Can’t blame the big brands for getting upset if they’re missing out in market growth. But I wouldn’t be buying as much if it weren’t for TMM and shows like yours.
11:09 that’s why I was watching videos where you would mention the sticker then I’d look at my arette bottle with no sticker and be like “well mine doesn’t have a sticker wtf”
APPRECIATE YOU LUI! SULUD TO YOU AND YOURS TEACHER.
You Are Not To Blame Brother! You Help Educate Us On The Best Choice Of Products For Our Dollar 😀✌️😎🙏
thank you for enlightening us for the last few years. you have truly made a difference. the consumer deserves to know the truth. screw the mexican bureaucracy and their bs! keep it up Lui!
It's basically like big pharma has become big tequila. Ibought some tequila at Specs yesterday and they had labels beside their prices "organic" "additive free" so props to Soecs ❤
Thanks to you Lui, Tequila Hombre and Lou Agave, we all have a pretty good idea what brands and NOM's produce clean, quality tequila. If you spend your money on additive laden stuff, that's on you and your ignorance or just lack of education.
It's like blaming the weathman for the bad weather. We got you
Is that why on my bottle of mijenta had stickers covering the NOM and other places ?
Great intel, Lui, thanks! Did the CRT specifically state their issue w TM's designations? Bad for biz is not an excuse. Guessing their diplomatic response is since it's not a regulated, govt body it can't be trusted which we all know is bullshit. With their interests obvious, who's gonna trust them and if this silences TM, won't there be another right behind them testing in their kitchens and garages and posting their findings on youtube?
There was clearly a retreat from the CRT itself, which was going to create its own label. We suspect the reason for the change in attitude. There is great pressure from big industry. The truth is that all ingredients used in production should be on the label, with more or less than 1%.
What is the best tequila with no additive content just straight blue agave please
I’m always going to look for additive free tequila regardless what CRT does.
One or the main argument that the CRT made was that Casa Lotecito was producing "adulterated" Tequila. The label of all Lotecito batches never had on the label the word Tequila, they clearly had on the label the words agave spirit. So, in legal practice they never produced Tequila. Lotecito was a great project to learn from it. Hope we can see Casa Lotecito back, maybe in the USA? :)
This was a mistake on my part as well. I cut that part out of the video and will be issuing a correction in an update video.
One thing I really hope. Non-editive tequila brands continue to put out non-editive tequila and we still will buy it. And I think more We buy non-editive real tequila, Eventually big companies will come around. Just because they are going to keep on losing money. And we all thank you and other content creators pointing out to us tequilas that has no additive, it is important to me and I'm pretty sure it is important to other people, because they taste good and I want to spend my money on something that it's real, honest and done right way.
In a nutshell it all comes to money! The big companies didn't like losing profits. Here's the answer, (looking at you Casa Amigos) Make better tequila and we won't have this problem...
So will liquor stores (Total Wine, example) get slapped around for putting "Additive Free" signs by the brands that are additive free?
No or at least I really don't think so because the CRT has no jurisdiction in the U.S. stores here can do what ever they want really
Hey Lui! Just curious, as a matter of your work, you probably have to drink a lot of tequila. Do you end up working up a tolerance to lower amounts of alcohol? Do you have to limit tastings / video recordings / etc to certain days of the week? How can you remain so productive while also needing to consume alcohol as a part of your job?
Love the content, hope the question doesn't come off as bad-intentioned. Just wanna know how the process works, you're clearly a man of good health.
Hi my friend, I actually made a whole video about my relationship with alcohol th-cam.com/video/btcUwoZNFRI/w-d-xo.html
Does anyone know where you can find TMM's last list of additive free tequilas?
Wondering the same
This is so sad because TMM has been such a resourceful medium for someone new to the tequila scene. Its hard to know what to obtain as a consumer without these tools. A governing body preventing transparency is directly interfering with a free market. This is not good for any product, consumer, or manufacturer. I will also say i have meet some people who will not drink due to the absence of transparency. This resistance slows progress of those willing adopters who just want a clearer picture.
Glad AFA is continuing as a non-profit. Definitely not discounting the possibility of big corps influencing the CRT crackdown. On the other hand I feel like a regulatory agency wouldn't really want anyone to be able to print and send additive free stickers/labels to distillers. If random health blogs started printing and sending "peanut free" labels to food brands without FDA approval I'd hope they would have an issue with it.
Of course, in that scenario, the FDA would allow producers to label products as "peanut free" even if they contain up to 4% peanuts.
@@o.o-vt1rc well yeah regulatory capture is going to happen in any capitalist country. That’s why I said I’m open to the idea big corps are influencing the crackdown
So this is something I got wrong. It was TMM that was sending stickers. This was the brands themselves doing it apparently to standout on shelves. It's a correction indeed to clarify in a future video.
A British Conglomerate buys, adds synthetic agave & distributes Don Julio & we’re supposed to be surprised they want to shut quality tequila down. More of the same happening here
It might be time to look at ramping up domestic production of agave based spirits.
That is freakin hilarious. I will forever know Jose Cuervo as the Uwe Boll of the tequila industry lmao.
What you should of said was them getting mad at you and blaming you content creators for reporting this is like if it was raining and the weather news reported it and someone said it was their fault for it raining too much lol
Dammit! You should write my scripts. That would've been much better than me fumbling
Thanks Lui, this was great, very informative, you’d make a good journalist if shit hits the fan with your current occupation 😂
Question, what did CRT use as an argument for having all brands remove information about additives? Feels like we know the honest answer, but they couldn’t have used that publicly
Nooo.. It's not your fault! Garbage water is garbage water. If that's what you like in your glass go for it.... But KNOW what is in your glass. Educate yourself!
How will we educate ourselves with this crackdown?
CRT can come knocking on my door because I will be educating people at my store about the tequila they should be buying over the overhyped Casamigos and Don Julio.
So Grover, as a US based entity, was forced by CRT to change his website? Or else…what?
People who tell the truth are never at fault. Those covering up the truth are.
Come on, it's Mexico. It's all about the money. Anything that hurts the sales of all the big name brands like Patron, Don Julio, Cuervo, Casamigos is gonna have to be shut down. All these companies probably pay the most to the CRT. So if their profits go down, so does the money that CRT gets!!
Here is my point of view: Tequila Matchmaker became an unofficial enterprise and “regulatory” body of a product that is regulated by the Mexican government. How did they test the tequila? What was their process of “detecting” additives? Who allowed them to rate or define which brands of tequila should be considered “additive free” is they never tested all of the tequilas? Why were they using a logo as if that was a “official” seal of guarantee?
Also, distilling tequila - even in very small quantities without license - is illegal, so without knowing because they maybe never investigated, they committed a federal crime.
I guess they should’ve asked the government for guidance and permission. They could’ve also keep their ratings as a matter of suggestion “unofficially” rather than to try to “certify” - with not known methods - that a tequila had or not additives.
I guess that the Mexican government didn’t like the idea of a private enterprise taking or basically usurping their place. Why? Because all tequilas are allowed by law to use some additives which are used in many other alcoholic beverages to correct flavor, aroma, and color, with a maximum amount of 1% of the total weight of the Tequila before bottling.
Now, Tequila is not the only spirit that uses additives. Most whiskeys, Scotches, Brandies, etc also use additives.
Hopefully, the Mexican government will force the companies to add the “additive free” on their label to those tequilas which don’t have additives. The rest of the alcohol producing industry should follow that too.
1. I love that you have a Manchester United pin on your apron 😀 2. This whole Tequila Matchmaker vs. CRT thing (looking at it from Finland) makes me think of Mexico as an even more undemocratic country. The CRT is acting like a criminal organisation. Maybe that's what the C stands for... I admire you for keeping this topic on people's minds. And to those who say content creators are the cause of all this... sigh...
Tequila makers called their pimp to make a scene. When a regulatory agency is paid for by the companies they regulate, they are nothing more than a pimp. The more money the companies make the more money that the regulatory agency makes. This is nothing more than one trick yelling to her pimp "are you going to let that other trick talk trash about me? I make you more money"
I wonder if other methods of getting the point across will still be allowed. It's one reason I love Caballito Cerrero. "Ingredients: Agave, Water" Also gives more insight into that brand just not wanting to be part of the CRT. Hope they don't see trouble. P.S. Lui you skipped past your tasting of this gem far too quickly in a previous video.
If the CRT do not control the Industry, cut out brands who are obviously in there for the moohlah... this spirit will eventually be flushed down the drain. A common problem when everybody is in a feeding frenzy without any long-term and sustainable guardrails to ensure the relevancy of this unique Mexican Spirit
TMM also started to turn into this pay to play system. A lot of people you included would just treat everything that didn’t have the TMM stamp as tequila with additives. I’m on the TMM side personally but I also saw decent tequila treated as if it was garbage because it didn’t have the sticker. Whether creators were being paid to do that or were just doing for content is a whole other conversation. Something like that could fly in the US but you can’t do that in Mexico. Everything is already pay to play there. Look at what’s happening to mezcal. The fact that real minero can’t call their sprit mezcal is ridiculous.
God forbid consumers actually know if what they're ingesting is loaded with additives or not... The CRT is a joke and big brands are a bunch of straight up 🤡's. This makes me want to stay away from their nasty swill even more.
So the CRT is basically the FDA of tequila 😂 It pays to play and get approved.
I don't know too much about the FDA but I think it's similar on how it operates.
IF...I drink tequila again, there are only 3 accessible brands I'll be drinking, unless I hear something different. I deleted the app.
You never said what the “charges” are, only that TMM denies them.
They're listed in the Wall Street journal article and the one I did on my newsletter
I am almost sure the brands that have additive had something to do with it, cause they are probably not selling well.
We know who they are and they won’t get my business.
Total Wine still advertises tequilas as being addictive free. Hope this doesn’t hurt the brands I love and TMM.
That was inadvertently TMM's fault. With the stickers, bottle tags, and shelf labels TMM made available to the retailers, it makes sense that the other brands would do the same to create confusion for those that know nothing about additive free tequila. Total Wine do anything to protect their house and Spirits Direct brands.
Sell stickers that people can put on their bottle after they buy it.
Totalwine is aggressive on not pushing additive free tequila.
Probably because all celebrity backed Tequila's are trash, and MatchMaker said so!! Money talks, and if you threaten gravy trains, then....
$$$$$ almost always almost 💰
Lui, you spoke about the raid by the CRT on Tequila Matchmaker. You brought up declining sales from some brands and used Casamigos as an example. You brought up the “additive free” list on Matchmaker, but you declined to put a bow on all the elements in your podcast. I know for a fact that Clooney sold the Casamigos brands for a lot of money. While you don’t come out and say it, it seems evident that the CRT is protecting brands that have been exposed for using additives in their tequila. Those of us who are tequila aficionados deserve to have the information necessary to make informed choices. Luckily, primarily because of Tequila Matchmaker and you, I already know who does and who doesn’t use additives; I feel sorry for those distillers who are, or were, in the process of becoming a member of the “additive free” list.
So....no one is going to say it? Cool. I will. The CRT bowed to pressure from the cartel....and the stills being taken is simply punishment.
Maybe we need a tequila czar. Like the government. Yea that will straighten things out!