🍹Tequila

Today we have a perfect example of why it is worth always taking a step back before interpreting a news story in the worst possible way.

For the first time since the global financial crisis of 2009, exports of tequila and mezcal declined last year. Taken at face value, this might suggest that the industry is struggling; in fact, several media outlets have already jumped to that conclusion.

This is where Latinometrics comes in. Looking at the period since the pandemic, the industry hasn’t just done well—it’s done extraordinarily well. Between 2020 and 2023, its value nearly doubled.

Our friends to the north, especially in the United States and Canada, have bought almost every bottle exported from our beloved Jalisco, a full 87% of total export value. In the United States, only vodka currently outsells tequila and mezcal.

So what has been happening in the rest of the world?

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