Diageo dismisses tequila lawsuit 'baseless' amid purity allegations

On July 14, beverage giant Diageo filed an initial response to a lawsuit alleging it misled U.S. consumers about the purity of some of its popular tequila brands, according to a Reuters report.

In its filing, Diageo dismissed the allegations as “baseless,” stating that the complaint offered no evidence to support claims that its tequila brands, Casamigos and Don Julio, were not “100 percent agave.”

The spirits giant asserted that all bottled tequilas under the Casamigos and Don Julio brands labeled as “100% agave” are indeed made from 100% Blue Weber agave. Furthermore, the company stated that these products undergo a rigorous production process and a multi-step certification procedure, according to the report.

In May, a class action lawsuit was filed in federal court in Brooklyn accusing the spirits giant of falsely advertising its tequila brands as “100% agave.” The suit claimed that the products contained other types of alcohol and did not meet U.S. or Mexican standards for pure tequila.

In the same month, two additional lawsuits were filed against Diageo—one in California and the other in Florida. One of the suits alleged that certain versions of Casamigos and Don Julio tequilas contained only between 33 percent and 42 percent agave-derived ethanol.

Diageo has denied all allegations, stating it will continue to defend the integrity and quality of its tequila brands.

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