Corona’s Owner Cuts Deal For A Piece Of Breaking Bad Star’s Mezcal Stash

You do not want to get into business with Walter White. But Bryan Cranston, the actor who brought the ruthless drug lord to life, is a different story.

That’s at least how American alcohol giant Constellation Brands sees it. The company, which owns Corona and Modelo, announced Thursday that it’s taken a minority stake in Dos Hombres, the top-shelf mezcal brand co-founded by the Breaking Bad star.

Better Call Paul

Dos Hombres, which Cranston launched with his Breaking Bad co-star Aaron Paul in 2019, is keeping the terms of its new deal confidential. And while Hollywood talent agents might prefer their actors to stick to the script, celebrity alcohol brands are big business these days:

• British alcohol baron Diageo bought Casamigos – a tequila brand co-founded by George Clooney – for $1 billion in 2017. And last year, it picked up Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin for $610 million.
• And mezcal is making a name for itself. Sales volumes for the distilled agave spirit grew 14% in 2020, according to industry tracker IWSR. And ultra-premium mezcal, the category Dos Hombres falls into, is the fastest-growing part of the mezcal category. A 750-milliliter bottle of the stuff will run you $65.

“Our goal is to make strategic, minority investments in high potential brands in growing categories, and the U.S. mezcal market continues to show great potential,” said Constellation Ventures VP Jennifer Evans.

Marketing Blitzed: According to the gossip columns of the New York Post, Cranston and Paul have been spotted party-hopping all over Montauk, New York to promote their wares, while perhaps even imbibing a bit too much of them. “I don’t know how they left standing because they had a drink with every single person at the place,” a source at one such shindig told the paper.