08-03-2025
Celebrity Tequila Braces for Trump's Tariff Burn
Love it or hate it, the entertainer-turned-spirits-purveyor trend is about to hit a painful new roadblock.
What do Matthew McConaughey, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Kendall Jenner have in common? In the past five years, they've all used their megastardom to add to a growing lineup of celebrity tequilas—an already crowded category that now risks getting slammed by President Donald Trump's incoming tariffs.
Jenner's 818 tequila business, an homage to her SoCal area code, has built up a half year's worth of inventory across the US before a possible trade war with Mexico, says Mike Novy, chief executive officer of Calabasas Beverage Co., which operates the brand. The 818 brand is also reconsidering some of its planned limited-edition releases in the latest sign of the turmoil rocking the once-solid Mexican spirits market.
