A major beverage brand is being sued for allegedly duping tequila lovers. Diageo — the parent company behind Casamigos and Don Julio — falsely markets “its highly popular tequila brands” and sells “adulterated tequila to consumers,” according to a class action suit filed in New York on Monday.
The company is accused of falsely labeling Casamigos and Don Julio as “100% agave” and “100% Blue Weber.”
The suit, filed by a group of consumers and a bar owner, claims Don Julio and Casamigos contain “significant concentrations of cane or other types of alcohol rather than pure tequila.”
According to the suit:
“Plaintiffs brings this consumer protection class action lawsuit against Defendant Diageo North America for falsely marketing its highly popular tequila brands and selling adulterated tequila to consumers.”
“Consumers pay premium price for spirits made from 100% Blue Weber Agave because it is a crop that takes longer to grow and is more difficult to harvest and produce than other spirits such as vodka or gin.”
“If Plaintiffs and the proposed class members had known the truth of the ingredients in their Products, they would not have bought Diageo tequilas or would have paid less.”
Tequilas that aren’t 100% agave are “commonly referred to as “mixto” but still labeled tequila. “These types of tequilas may have many other undisclosed ingredients so ‘you don’t know what’s in it,’” the suit states.
Diageo has denied wrongdoing calling the claims “meritless.”
“We plan to vigorously defend ourselves in court,” the company said according to Reuters.
According to Mezcalitas, agave farmers have accused major tequila companies of secretly adding cane sugars to tequilas.
The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages from Diageo and a court order to stop false advertising
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