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If we’re another celebrity tequila brand is going to join the already heavily saturated market, I’m glad it’s from Danny McBride (no offense, Matthew McConaughey). The Righteous Gemstones creator just launched Don Gato, a new tequila with a comedic backstory about a cat-obsessed, masked luchador as its founder. He also created a series of videos starring himself and his Eastbound and Down costar Steve Little, alongside the mysterious Don Gato, which are worth checking out.
Clearly, this is a brand that is not taking itself too seriously, something that McBride made very clear when I had a chance to interview him recently. But Don Gato is being marketed as an additive-free brand, something that tequila fans do take seriously. There is really no way of verifying this claim, especially now that Tequila Matchmaker has removed its Additive Free Alliance list after pressure from the CRT (Consejo Regulador del Tequila)on tequila brands. But a sip of the blanco does not taste like the vanilla and candy-infused liquid that is the result of using flavor additives. Instead, this is an earthy, citrusy, agave-forward blanco that is entirely sippable. I interviewed McBride via email about his new tequila, and he responded with a lot of humor and a healthy dose of sincerity.
What exactly is your relationship to Don Gato? Are you the founder?
Don Gato is the mastermind, I’m just the interpreter (he doesn’t really talk—but when he does, I’m all ears). But I am a founder, investor, and genuine lover of the brand.
There are so many celebrity-backed tequila brands. What do you think Don Gato adds to the conversation?
I wanted to create the most serious tequila while seemingly taking it the least serious. I noticed tequila ads started looking like perfume commercials and, as it turned out, tasting like perfume as well. Although some may say the market is full of celebrity brands, Don Gato brings a less stuffy and refreshing take on what tequila should be about, which is the cool times it creates when you pop a bottle, the focus on making a tequila that tastes as good as it looks and a personality that’s bold and colorful… just like the place it’s made.
Did you have any conversations with the Rock, George Clooney, Kevin Hart, or any other celebrities about backing a tequila brand?
I camped out in front of each of their houses for several days, waiting for them to come home so I could spitball ideas, but I never actually connected. When the police arrived, they said I was technically trespassing. That’s when I realized it wasn’t important for me to talk to other people who had done it. It was time to do things my way.
The promo videos are probably the funniest I’ve seen for a spirit. How involved were you with coming up with the backstory of Don Gato and the concept overall?
Thank you! These videos are a testament to what we’re trying to do with Tequila Don Gato. No corporate B.S., no serious or upscale, fancy marketing, just creativity and fun. I looked at the ads as a way to do what I do with my shows—create something unique and distinct. I tried to reframe and think about this industry like I would a movie, bringing what makes my shows and movies so relatable to an industry that feels kind of unrelatable at times. I wrote the campaign and was involved in every step of the process. I took a lot of my crew from The Righteous Gemstones down to Guadalajara to shoot the campaign. David Green directed the spots. No ad agencies were involved, there were no corporate overlords trying to strip out what was cool or fun. We were the corporate overlords on this one.
How important was it to have an additive-free tequila? Do you think that is something drinkers are more aware of and looking for these days?
I think a lot of the tequila on the market is filled with nonsense that makes the spirit taste cheap. By getting a first-hand look at the process of tequila-making and experiencing the behind the scenes of that process, I was able to figure out that what I didn’t like in my tequila were additives. People are becoming more interested and well-versed in the tequila space, especially as it relates to additives. I wanted Tequila Don Gato to be clean, smooth, cool and completely B.S.-free. The liquid credentials speak for themselves—Blanco was the winner of a Gold Medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Reposado was the winner of a Gold Medal at the New York International Spirits Competition. I’m stoked about the response.
How do you like to drink tequila? Any favorite cocktails?
I like tequila in all ways. My favorite is definitely Reposado and typically I like to drink it neat. However, Don Gato’s Blanco is really smooth and doesn’t have that artificial taste that you get from some blancos. It’s really clean and earthy and goes down easy, even on its own. You can always make a Ranch Water in a Topo Chico bottle if you have a work meeting or you’re doing a Zoom interview at 2 PM, though.
You can find both the Blanco (SRP $40) and Reposado (SRP $45) expressions from Don Gato available to purchase from ReserveBar now.
