Brand Profile | Tequila 100% Blue Weber Agave · Highlands (Los Altos), Arandas, Jalisco · Destilería Morales (NOM
1535)

Brent Hocking launched DeLeón in 2008 as a luxury, ultra-premium tequila built for the top shelf from day one, taking its
name from the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León and his legendary search for the fountain of youth. Diageo took an early
stake soon after, and in 2014 formalised a 50/50 joint venture with Sean “Diddy” Combs to grow DeLeón alongside Cîroc
vodka.
Production runs through Destilería Morales in Arandas, in the Highlands (Los Altos) of Jalisco. Hand-selected Highland Blue
Weber agave is slow-roasted in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours, fermented in open-air wooden tanks, and twice distilled
through small copper pot stills.

Brent Hocking launched DeLeón in 2008, positioning it as a luxury tequila from the outset. Diageo acquired it in 2014 to jointly grow DeLeón and Cîroc. Production moved to Destilería Morales (NOM 1535) in 2015, with older stock still carrying the brand's original NOM 1519.

The partnership hit turbulence in 2023, when Combs sued Diageo alleging the company had neglected DeLeón and Cîroc and
treated them as lesser brands. The two sides settled in January 2024, with Diageo taking full, sole ownership of DeLeón
going forward. The brand relaunched its marketing in 2025 under a new “Bold Spirits, Rise” platform.

Where most tequila brands lean on agave-forward simplicity, DeLeón built its identity around finishing. The Añejo's rest in
Premier Cru French Sauternes casks borrows a technique from luxury winemaking rather than traditional tequila production,
and the brand markets it as a first for the category.
What it brings to the shelf:

• 100% Blue Weber agave, hand-selected from Highland (Los Altos) fields around Arandas, Jalisco
• Agave slow-roasted in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours before fermentation
• Fermented in open-air wooden tanks, then twice distilled through small copper pot stills
• Añejo finished in Premier Cru French Sauternes casks, a first for the category
• Bold, sculptural bottle design built to stand out on a luxury back bar
• Backed by Diageo's global distribution as sole owner since January 2024

If you want a tequila that treats ageing like a wine-cellar experiment rather than a formality, DeLeón's Sauternes-finished
Añejo is the one to pour.

A Highlands-first process built around slow roasting and an unconventional cask finish.

• Agave: 100% Blue Weber, hand-selected from Highland (Los Altos) agave fields
• Cooking: Slow-roasted in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours to draw out the sugars
• Fermentation & Distillation: Fermented in open-air wooden tanks, then twice distilled through small copper pot
  stills at Destilería Morales
• Ageing: Reposado rested 8 months in American oak. Añejo aged in American oak before finishing in Premier Cru
  French Sauternes casks
• Bottling: Bottled at 40% ABV in DeLeón's signature sculptural bottle

Brick-oven cooking and a Sauternes-cask finish are the two details DeLeón leans on hardest to set itself apart from the rest of
the Highlands