Don Julio wanted to pioneer a new kind of tequila - a dark añejo - and once again redefine the category, as it had with Cristalino over a decade ago.
But as global tequila boomed, offerings had become commoditised, losing the unique authenticity and Mexican-ness of the category. A black tequila risked feeling like novelty, not legacy. The real question wasn't aesthetic - it was one of cultural belonging. How can black feel like Mexico?
Team
Maria Pálla Valiente Megan Bourner-Powell
The Strategy
A semiotic decode of the category pinpointed the ideal opportunity space: how to do darkness right within Mexicanity. Sensory co-creation across Mexico City and Guadalajara revealed the tension at the heart of it: fire is a powerful signifier in Mexican culture with an authentic relationship to black - but black only feels Mexican when paired with warmth, craft and a clear sensory story.
We built a strategic narrative that grounded black in fire and ash, then fed the winning routes into MMR-led quant validation across Mexico and the US.
Expertise
Semiotics Positioning Qualitative groups Quant validation (MMR)
The Sensational Advantage
By designing for how black feels in Mexico we gave Don Julio a credible way to invent something genuinely new: the brand's first dark añejo.
Launched as Don Julio Ceniza in August 2025, it rolled out across Mexico and expanded to Colombia by year-end.
It's an exciting moment for tequila and for Don Julio, with Ceniza positioned to become a new named category, not just a product. As Diageo's Jesús Valdelamar put it, the launch is about "creating a new category of dark añejo tequilas" - echoing Cristalino's emergence a decade ago.
