Bacardi Acquires ILEGAL Mezcal – a Leading Artisanal Mezcal Brand in the U.S.
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held international spirits company in the world, announced today the completion of a transaction that makes the family-owned company the sole owner of ILEGAL Mezcal®, a leading super premium artisanal mezcal.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230911109816/en/
Bacardi Acquires ILEGAL Mezcal, a Leading Artisanal Mezcal Brand in the U.S. (Photo: Business Wire)
The transaction follows a successful relationship in which Bacardi partnered with ILEGAL since 2015.
The super premium plus mezcal category is growing at a fast pace and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16% over the next five years according to IWSR. Between now and 2027, the agave category – which includes both mezcal and tequila – is expected to be the sixth largest category globally, and it recently overtook American Whiskey to become the second largest category (by value) in the U.S. At 86% of global market share, the United States dominates the super premium mezcal category. (Source: 2022 IWSR).
“We believe that ILEGAL has the credentials to own and lead the super premium mezcal category at a global level. ILEGAL perfectly complements our portfolio and bringing it into our business sets the brand up for even greater growth as mezcal captivates more and more consumers,” says Barry Kabalkin, Vice Chairman of Bacardi Limited.
“Bacardi and ILEGAL have a shared commitment to communities, quality, and environmental sustainability that we will build upon together as we look to invest for the long term. As a family-owned business for seven generations, we are always building for the future to maintain the legacy that is Bacardi,” says Mahesh Madhavan, Bacardi Limited Chief Executive Officer.
ILEGAL, recognized globally for its lifestyle branding, also prides itself on being a responsible and sustainable business. They work with fourth-generation maestros mezcaleros in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico. ILEGAL Mezcal is double distilled in small batches using 100% Espadin agave. ILEGAL Mezcal is 100% natural and uses no artificial colors, yeasts, flavors, or additives. It is certified as artisanal mezcal by the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal (CRM).
John Rexer created ILEGAL in 2006, after years of working with small distillers in Oaxaca to make mezcal for his bar in Guatemala. John’s goal has been to bring the finest artisanal mezcal to a global market. He has worked closely with the distillers in Oaxaca to create sustainable jobs, and to be a positive force in protecting the environment and preserving local culture. John will continue to guide the vision of the brand.
“We are excited about the next stage of the journey,” says John Rexer. “Success for ILEGAL goes beyond seeing more of our bottles on shelves; it’s about building our business the right way. We will always be committed to artisanal production, the Oaxacan community, and our core values. Being a part of Bacardi will bring ILEGAL to a larger audience while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and growing the business responsibly.”
ILEGAL Mezcal is available in Joven, a full-bodied agave flavor with a light smoke; Reposado, aged six months in medium-charred American oak; and Añejo, aged to taste for 13 months using a combination of new and used American oak, medium char barrels.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
About Bacardi Limited
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held international spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ® rum, GREY GOOSE® vodka, PATRÓN® tequila, DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON’S® Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF® vodka. Founded more than 161 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs approximately 9,000, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 160 markets. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram.
About ILEGAL Mezcal
ILEGAL Mezcal was founded in 2006 and is today one of the leading artisanal mezcals in the world. ILEGAL Mezcal is sold in over 40 countries and has won numerous awards for both quality and branding. The brand has won countless awards including a Gold Honor Shorty Award for Brand Identity and was named Agave Spirit of 2022 by Bloomberg. The company prides itself on bringing to market fine aged mezcals as well as its joven expressions. ILEGAL is produced and bottled in Oaxaca, Mexico. The production is 100% artisanal, using ripe espadin agave, pit ovens, tahona mills, and small copper stills. Visit www.ilegalmezcal.com or Instagram.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230911109816/en/
Contact information
Jessica Merz, VP Global Corporate Communications, jmerz@bacardi.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Quectel Launches RG660QA and RG660QB 5G Modules With Advanced Performance Features7.1.2026 19:00:00 EET | Press release
Quectel Wireless Solutions, an end-to-end global IoT solutions provider, today announces the launch of the RG600QA and RG660QB 5G module, based on the Qualcomm® X85 and X82 5G Modem-RF Systems. The RG660QA is based on X85 while the RG660QB is based onX82. Engineering samples of two first SKUs in the RG660Qx series have been already made available to customers and pre-production samples will be available to the market in Q2 2026. Designed for versatility, this module series supports a broad array of next generation 5G use cases, from home and business wireless broadband to mobile video, camera applications, and high-performance mobile hotspots. In indoor 5G CPE, it unlocks premium performance by enabling Wi-Fi 7 across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, with integrated Bluetooth to support a full ecosystem of connected devices. With Ethernet speeds reaching up to 10 Gbps, the RG660Qx delivers the high-capacity backbone needed to power ultra-fast, reliable home and enterprise networks.
Sodali & Co Announces Executive Leadership Appointments7.1.2026 18:00:00 EET | Press release
Sodali & Co (the ‘firm’ or ‘Sodali’), the leading global capital markets-centric stakeholder advisory firm, is pleased to announce four appointments to its Executive Leadership Team (ELT) under Chief Executive Officer Andrew Benett. These newly created senior roles will strengthen Sodali’s ability to respond to clients’ evolving needs with an integrated suite of shareholder, sustainability, and strategic communications advisory services delivered on a global scale. The appointments are as follows: Brett Clegg has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer. Brett was previously Chairman of Sodali’s APAC region, based in the firm’s Sydney office. He specializes in advising clients on strategic communications, issues management, and capital markets transactions. Prior to Sodali, Brett spent over two decades in senior executive and editorial roles at some of Australia’s leading news brands, including The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, and The Daily Telegraph. Aneliya Crawford
Andersen Global Adds González-Paullada Domínguez in Monterrey, Mexico7.1.2026 16:30:00 EET | Press release
Andersen Global broadens its Latin American platform through a Collaboration Agreement with Monterrey-based law firm González-Paullada Domínguez (GPD), further strengthening the organization’s coverage in Mexico. Founded in 2021, GPD offers comprehensive services across transactional and litigation matters. The firm advises clients across sectors—including manufacturing, real estate, insurance, information technology, mining, and banking—on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, foreign investment, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, and ongoing legal audits. GPD also represents clients in complex civil and commercial litigation, arbitration, and insolvency proceedings. “Monterrey is a major economic hub where local credibility and deep relationships are essential, particularly for foreign investors seeking to enter the market,” said Alfonso González-Paullada Guerrero, founder and managing partner of GPD. “By collaborating with Andersen Global, we s
1NCE Continues Growth and Expands Its Software, AI and Services Offering7.1.2026 15:15:00 EET | Press release
1NCE, a company offering a plug-and-play platform for creating and managing the world’s best IoT products, reports another strong growth year, adding another 10 million endpoints. The company now manages 40+ million intelligent products for 30,000+ customers across 17 industries. 1NCE’s software and connectivity platform has become a new industry standard, delivering hassle-free IoT in 170+ countries and regions. The company has a unique vantage point in the IoT ecosystem, with four billion data records per day collected through 250+ streams on the world’s largest IoT network in the cloud. The company launched a new intelligent data program called 1NCE Insights. The program is part of the company’s goal of fusing AI + IoT intelligence to drive game-changing results in supply chains, smart cities, utilities and beyond. Customer-collected data is theirs and theirs alone. But with Insights, 1NCE opens access to its anonymized, networkwide data. Customers can benchmark their IoT projects a
Prudentia Sciences Announces Series A Led by McKesson Ventures, Accelerating Due Diligence for Life Sciences Dealmaking7.1.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Prudentia Sciences, a pioneer in AI-native due diligence for life sciences dealmaking, today announced that it has secured $20 million in Series A financing. The round was led by McKesson Ventures with participation from SignalFire. Existing investors include Iaso Ventures, Virtue and GV. This brings the company’s total funding to $27 million, following a $7 million seed round in 2024. Prudentia Sciences provides an AI-native platform that enables pharma companies, biotechs, and financial institutions to evaluate breakthrough medicines with unprecedented speed and rigor. By synthesizing complex clinical signals into actionable insights, Prudentia accelerates deal throughput and provides strategic leverage for acquisition, licensing, or investment decisions made by business development, investment, and diligence teams. The company’s human-in-the-loop approach orchestrates seamless collaboration between buyers, sellers, and intermediaries. This ensures a secure, compliant infrastructure
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom