No one can deny that Elon Musk is a master at building his own lane. He did it with PayPal, changing the way we buy things online forever. He did it with Tesla, making electric cars cool and desirable (something the Prius could never do). He’s doing it with SpaceX, likely beating NASA in the quest to build the first landable and reusable rocket. Dude knows how to win.
So when Elon Music semi-jokingly suggested he’d be throwing his hat into the tequila game with “Teslaquila” two years back, it just seemed like yet another thing he was sure to succeed at. (If the stoner actually followed through.)
Elon was found passed out against a Tesla Model 3, surrounded by "Teslaquilla" bottles, the tracks of dried tears still visible on his cheeks.
This is not a forward-looking statement, because, obviously, what's the point?
Happy New Month! pic.twitter.com/YcouvFz6Y1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 1, 2018
Turns out producing Tequila is a little bit more complicated than electric vehicles and space travel though, at least if you want to call it “Teslaquila” and not, you know, “tequila.” The Verge reports that soon after Elon’s April Fool’s tweet announcing Teslaquila, a legal representative attempted to register the brand in Mexico, which was followed up by an objection in February of 2019 by the Tequila Regulatory Council, the body responsible for authorizing the manufacture, consumption, and trade of tequila, and later rejected by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.
The main issue with Teslaquila was that the name was too similar to the word tequila, which is a designation of origin and can only be rightfully used by the tequila agribusiness. Calling a tequila Teslaquila might cause confusion about where the product comes from, something the Tequila Regulatory Council takes very seriously. Meaning if Elon seriously wants to get in the tequila game, he’ll have to call his product something else.
Which is good because that name is dorky as f*ck.
Ever the early adopter and quick adapter, Teslaquila has pivoted to Tesla Tequila and is officially registered in both Mexico and the United States and is associated with the Destiladora del Valle de Tequila, in Tequila, Jalisco, a legit tequila distillery. While much of this tequila is still shrouded in mystery, we at least now know the name. We’ve also learned that the original idea for a lightning-shaped bottle, modeled after the Tesla GPS charging station icons, is unlikely. The glass bottles have been called “impossible to mass-produce” by The Verge.
So Elon is 0-2 in the tequila game. But if Tesla Tequila turns out at least half as good as the car company that shares its name, it just might be able to compete with other celebrity-driven agave spirits expresions, which range from The Rock’s tequila to the Breaking Bad duo’s famed mezcal.
