Amáras — Mezcal in China

Single malt whisky educated a generation of serious drinkers in China: terroir, provenance, production method — a shared language for talking about spirits already exists. When mezcal arrived, it offered an almost point-for-point parallel. Amáras is Mexico's largest independent mezcal brand, rooted in the land, carrying a strong sense of national identity and something close to a spiritual quality — a world apart from Empirical's rebellious avant-garde. This is ancient, local, drawn from centuries of tradition. Its bar-facing line, Mezcal Verde, takes a more contemporary posture, commissioning a new artist collaboration for its label design each year.

Our strategy led with the trade. The priority was making sure bartenders and distributors understood mezcal properly — could taste with precision, recommend with confidence. On the consumer side, Xiaohongshu influencer seeding and guest bartending events built category awareness steadily over time. In 2024, Amáras founder and CEO Santiago visited China for the first time, hosting masterclasses in both Shanghai and Beijing. That first trip gave Santiago a real sense of what this market could become. The sales growth has since confirmed the strategy: Mezcal Verde is now one of the leading mezcal brands in China.