Former Patrón execs disrupt vodka category with blue Weber agave spirit typically found in tequila
Former Patrón executives who launched Texas-based brand Round 2 Spirits in January presented consumers with the first product displaying their mission to disrupt the booze category.
Earlier this week, Round 2 Spirits revealed Weber Ranch Vodka, a unique product distilled from 100% Blue Weber agave rather than the fermented corn, wheat or potato it's typically made from.
"After my partners and I sold Patrón six or so years ago, we had already been bonded for a very long time by our love of agave and our shared success with Patrón," Lee Applbaum, president of Round 2 Spirits, told FOX Business during a phone interview.
"We recognized, in tequila, what an amazing supreme spirit agave could produce with care," he said.
Applbaum, the former CMO of Patrón Tequila and Grey Goose Vodka, founded Round 2 with his partners, including co-founder of Patrón Tequila John Paul DeJoria, former CEO of Patrón Spirits Company Ed Brown, former President International and COO of Patrón Spirits Dave Wilson and former COO of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits Brad Vassar.
A passion for agave coupled with an enduring friendship and a tall order for another shot at the industry together is what pulled some of the men from retirement and drove the group to get to work on spirit innovation.
"Our ambitions are to disrupt at scale," Applbaum said. "Over the course of several years, we kept our eyes very close and ears very close to the industry. We are obviously consumers also. We were very familiar with tequila and consumer fascination with agave, specifically."
Applbaum added that there is amplified conversation surrounding agave and the science and health benefits of the plant. Consumers also report an agave "high" and "positive vibe" in addition to bouncing back more rapidly after drinking agave-based cocktails.
The palate of the vodka drinker was at the forefront of decision-making while crafting a unique recipe. Applbaum and his partners knew that to appeal to the right audience, they would need to replicate the silky smooth mouthfeel of vodka in their own product. The goal? To craft a liquor that tastes good in a signature cocktail like a martini.
"That was really the most challenging part of crafting Weber Ranch," said Applbaum.
Many years of working with agave struck a chord with the team as they knew, with proper care during fermentation and distillation and the very best agave, they could regale consumers with a luminescent and velvety mouthfeel without earthy undertones or the burn of ethanol.
"Better ingredients usually yield a superior product," Applbaum said. "The same agave, the same distillation process, but refined even further makes Weber agave."
To fully mature, agave needs seven years to bloom. The brand leveraged years-long partnerships and relationships with agave growers in Jalisco, Mexico, to harvest their idea and quickly stock shelves with an innovative product.
"Mother Nature needs to take her time," Applbaum said. "The longer the agave is maturing, the more the sugar is concentrated in the agave piña. We wanted to partner with someone we know, we trust and who has access to the world’s best agave."
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Weber Ranch's master distiller, Antonio Rodriguez, former production director at Patrón Tequila, oversaw sourcing, quality control and product development to ensure exemplary mouthfeel and flavor profiles for consumers, especially vodka lovers.
"The consumer could reject something that’s too far out there," Applbaum said. "You can find these very niche products, but the consumer absolutely has to love it. All of us are 100% focused on Weber Ranch right now. We’ve got a lot of work to do to educate the consumer."
While the men at Round 2 Spirits are eager to capture consumers’ imaginations and revolutionize once again, they are wholly engrossed in the first product launch.
"The bar has been set really high here," Applbaum said. "We’re paying very close attention to what's going on in the industry. Where are there unmet consumer needs? That’s where we’re going to go."