818 Tequila, founded by Kendall Jenner, posted 73 percent year-over-year volume growth in the four weeks ending September 5, 2026, its first Nielsen read since Sazerac became its exclusive U.S. distributor, per an October 6 report.
The figures, carried as an industry release by Wine Industry Advisor and Spirits Business, show the brand outrunning a broader $25-and-up tequila category that fell 0.4 percent over the same stretch, with the Blanco and Reposado expressions each gaining ground against their own segments.
What the Nielsen numbers show
818 Blanco rose 58 percent against a Blanco segment that slipped 1 percent, and 818 Reposado climbed 122 percent against a Reposado segment that grew 3 percent, according to the report. August 2026 was described as the brand's largest depletions month on record, putting 818 on pace for its biggest year since launch. The release did not disclose underlying case counts or dollar sales, only the percentage comparisons, and the figures were issued by the brand and its distribution partner rather than published directly by Nielsen.
How the Sazerac partnership came together in April 2026
Sazerac announced a strategic partnership and financial investment in 818 Tequila on April 28, 2026, alongside an exclusive U.S. sales and distribution agreement. The terms of the investment were not disclosed. Lanay Jacobs, president of 818 Tequila, said the brand had built momentum over five years with a small, independent team and that Sazerac brought the scale to accelerate its next phase of growth. Sazerac chief marketing officer Sara Saunders called tequila a bright spot in spirits and said 818 stood apart on cultural relevance and commercial momentum. Jenner said partnering with Sazerac felt like the right next step as the brand looked to keep accelerating. The company said at the time that 818 had delivered double-digit growth every year since 2023, even as the broader tequila category stayed comparatively flat.
Who owns 818 and where it is made
Jenner launched 818 in February 2021, naming it for the area code of Calabasas, California, where she grew up, and the brand entered the U.S. market through a partnership with the Mexican producer Grupo Solave. The tequila is made in Jalisco. 818 sits inside Calabasas Beverage Company, a holding entity owned fifty-fifty with the team behind Sprinter, the canned vodka soda brand her sister Kylie Jenner launched in 2024; the two brands share sales and marketing resources. Grupo Solave made an additional investment in 818 last year, ahead of the Sazerac deal, to help fund the brand's expansion.
Sazerac's wider spirits ambitions
Sazerac's portfolio spans more than 550 brands globally, including Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare and Weller, and it already held tequila labels such as Corazón and Margaritaville before the 818 deal. The investment arrived as the category it targets has cooled: tequila sales across control states tracked by the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association rose just 0.2 percent to $2.51 billion in 2025, with volume up 2.2 percent to seven million cases, even as total U.S. spirits volumes declined. Separately, Sazerac made an all-cash, $32-a-share offer valuing Brown-Forman at roughly $15 billion in April 2026; Brown-Forman rejected the bid in May, keeping the Jack Daniel's maker independent.
What this means
The growth figures come from the brand and its distributor, not an independent Nielsen release, and no absolute volumes accompany the percentages, so the scale of the gain is harder to verify than the rate of it. 818 Blanco carries a TW Score of 58 of 95 and 818 Reposado 56 of 95 in this publication's database, with no certification on file for either.