Lee Einsidler Retires As CEO Of Casamigos

After helping to build Casamigos Tequila into a nearly 2.5-million-case juggernaut in the U.S. market, veteran spirits executive Lee Einsidler has decided to retire as CEO of the brand, Casamigos owner Diageo announced.

Founded by George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman in 2013, Casamigos brought on Einsidler—formerly CEO of Sidney Frank Importing—as chief executive two years later, when it sold about 80,000 cases. Diageo agreed to acquire the fast-rising upscale Tequila for $1 billion in 2017. Einsidler has remained at the helm of Casamigos since the acquisition, and the brand has continued to climb, adding roughly 1.5 million cases to its total from 2020-2022 before slowing to 3% growth last year, according to Impact Databank. Casamigos now ranks third among all Tequilas in the U.S. by volume, just ahead of Diageo portfoliomate Don Julio.

“Since purchasing Casamigos in 2017, we have been gradually integrating the brand into Diageo and now, following the brand’s incredible growth journey, is the right moment to initiate the final stage of that process,” said a Diageo spokesperson. “We are excited to combine the entrepreneurial Casamigos spirit with Diageo’s resources to optimize performance and drive future growth. We want to thank Lee and his team for their hard work scaling this iconic brand.”—Daniel Marsteller

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