Ancho Reyes Liqueur Brand Sees Growth Nearly Doubling In The U.S. Market

Mexican liqueur Ancho Reyes, launched in 2013, is rapidly finding an audience. The brand’s co-founder, Ivan Saldańa, tells SND that Ancho, which is launching a new expression called Ancho Reyes Verde, will ship 18,000 nine-liter cases to the U.S. this year, up from 10,000 cases last year. The brand’s importer is William Grant & Sons.

The original Ancho Reyes, distilled from a sugar-cane spirit mixed with macerated sun-dried poblano chiles, now sells in all 50 states. The new Verde extension, made with macerated green chiles to yield a lighter, more vegetal tasting liqueur, initially will have much narrower footprint, with sales limited to New York, Texas, California and Illinois. But expansion into Arizona and Colorado and Florida is planned next. Both the original Ancho and the Verde are at 40% abv and retail at $33.99 a 750-ml.

Rick Bayless, the Chicago-based Mexican restaurant owner and the host of the TV series “Mexico: One Plate at a Time,” says Ancho Reyes has emerged as a liqueur popular for both sipping and cocktails. “We love it here,” he says. “It’s a very versatile liqueur.” —Lee Murphy

Tagged : Ancho Reyes, liqueurs, spirits

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