Campari Group has launched Espolòn Tequila in India, introducing the Blanco, Reposado and Añejo expressions across Mumbai, Goa, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, Hospitality Biz India reported on September 11, 2026.
The Milan-headquartered spirits group is positioning the brand around cocktail occasions such as margaritas, palomas and picantes, as well as weddings, travel retail, home consumption and gifting, according to both Hospitality Biz India and the Indian trade outlet Spiritz, which independently confirmed the four-city rollout on September 12, 2026.
What the India launch actually covers
All three expressions are made from Blue Weber agave and distilled at Casa San Nicolas, the Espolòn-producing facility carrying NOM 1440 in the Los Altos, or Highlands, region of Jalisco, Mexico. Neither Hospitality Biz India nor Spiritz named a distribution or import partner for India, disclosed pricing, or set a timeline for expansion beyond the initial four cities, details that remain undisclosed as of this reporting.
Where Espolòn came from before Campari owned it
Master distiller Cirilo Oropeza established the Casa San Nicolas distillery in Arandas, Jalisco in 1995, and Espolòn's blanco expression was first released in 1998, according to Wikipedia's brand history. Campari Group acquired the brand's parent company, Destiladora San Nicolas, in 2008, and Oropeza remained master distiller until his death in October 2020. The brand's fermentation process includes playing classical music to the yeast, a practice Oropeza introduced and that Spiritz reported the company still follows. Its label art draws on the work of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada and features the brand's rooster character, Ramón, per Hospitality Biz India.
Why Campari is pushing tequila into India now
India's tequila category grew 34% by volume and 66% by value in 2025, according to IWSR data reported by The Spirits Business, with the category forecast to expand at a 13% volume CAGR and 15% value CAGR between 2025 and 2030. Campari's own first-half 2026 results showed its House of Agave division, led by Espolòn, accounted for 10% of group sales and grew 6.9% organically, with Espolòn itself up 8.2% globally in the period. Campari's Q1 2026 disclosures had already flagged China and India for 'solid growth' within Asia Pacific, a region where double-digit gains for Espolòn in Australia also stood out, per The Spirits Business.
What Campari executives said about the launch
Shivam Misra, Managing Director for India and the Sub-Continent at Campari Group, framed the launch as part of a broader cocktail-culture push, saying the brand aims to be 'a bartender's delight' by giving them distinctive flavours and creative freedom, according to Spiritz. Arvind Padhi, Commercial Director for Marketing and CCM in India and the Sub-Continent, added that Indian consumers are becoming more exploratory in the spirits they choose, per the same report. The India launch follows Campari's global 'Ride the Rooster' marketing platform for Espolòn, fronted by Andrea Sengara, managing director of Campari's House of Agave, which debuted in the US in August 2026 with plans to expand to Australia, Canada, Italy and Mexico, according to Global Drinks Intel and Shanken News Daily; India was not named among those markets.
What this means
Espolòn is not yet in Tequila Watch's database, so no TW Score exists for the three expressions entering India. What remains unverified is pricing, the retail and on-trade partners carrying the bottles, and whether the global 'Ride the Rooster' campaign will eventually extend here. Those specifics typically surface once listings go live in the four launch cities.