FOCUS-European かわき for tequila 悪化させるs agave crunch
By Richa Naidu and Valentine Hilaire
LONDON/MEXICO CITY, Feb 24 (Reuters) - He can't 注ぐ tequila 急速な／放蕩な enough. 賞与金 発射s. Margaritas. Palomas. The 時折の sunrise.
"We definitely run out every 週末," says Shubham Walavalker, a 24-year-old bartender, who's struggling to keep pace with 顧客s' かわき for the spirit at a packed 革命 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業 in 南西 London.
Tequila, the king of Mexican アルコール飲料s, is taking off in Europe. 輸出（する） 容積／容量s to Spain jumped 90% last year, to フラン 73%, Britain 68% and Germany 60%, によれば Mexico's Tequila Regulatory 会議, より勝るing 全世界の growth of 23%.
The 挑戦者 - a favourite in North America - is a long way from making a dent in the historic European dominance of vodka, whisky, rum and gin. It's 伸び（る）d a foothold, though, and is the fastest-growing spirit in the 地域, によれば Jose Cuervo 販売人 Proximo Spirits.
There's a spiky 行き詰まり，妨げる, though.
European 需要・要求する is 深くするing a 不足 of agave, the prickly 工場／植物 native to Mexico's Jalisco 地域 that's used to make tequila.
The cost of agave - about 5-7 Mexican pesos ($0.27-$0.37) per キログラム for much of the past two １０年間s - has been 辛勝する／優位ing up in 最近の years and 攻撃する，衝突する 31 pesos at the end of 2022, によれば 研究 会社／堅い Bernstein.
The 現在の 予測（する） for the end of 2023 is 28 pesos, though Bernstein 分析家 Trevor Stirling 警告を与えるd that 需要・要求する had "kept surprising on the upside".
"It's a 供給（する）-and-需要・要求する 問題／発行する," he said. "There is a 大規模な 不足 of agave in the tequila 産業."
Tequila prices have leapt.
People in Europe paid nearly 16% more f or the spirit in 蓄える／店s in December compared with a year before, while prices for whisky rose 6% and vodka 増加するd 5%, によれば data from NielsenIQ. Gin prices were flat.
構内／化合物ing 事柄s, the flow to Europe of high-質 100% agave tequila - which has to be 瓶／封じ込めるd in Mexico - has also been constrained by the 供給（する）-chain 大混乱 from COVID-19.
"It's the 工場／植物 that's expensive, and so is getting it over here from Mexico," said Robyn Evans, 経営者／支配人 of the Hacha agaveria, a 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業 specialising in tequila and mezcal in east London.
顧客s are 支払う／賃金ing about 50 pence ($0.57) - or over 10% - more for some neat 発射s than they would have a year ago, the 31-year-old said on a busy Friday night as music blared and punters sipped "mirror margaritas".
"There's definitely been an 増加する in tequilas 消費者s are familiar with," she 追加するd. "I've noticed more marketing ... it's newer brands that want to 攻撃する，衝突する the ground running 同様に as larger brands that have been here for a while 同様に."
TEQUILA ON 'THE ROCK'
Liqour 巨大（な） Diageo, which doesn't 勃発する European results, said last month that its 全世界の tequila sales 容積／容量s rose by 15% in the second half of 2022, far より勝るing 全体にわたる spirit sales, which 辛勝する／優位d up 3%.
The Mexican spirit accounted for 11% of its 報告（する）／憶測d 逮捕する sales, with Don Julio - which can sell for anything between about $50 and $250 a 瓶／封じ込める - rising 26% and Casamigos 29%.
European 需要・要求する isn't a 2022 flash in the pan, によれば some 産業 players who say tequila had been slowly 伸び（る）ing traction for years and was 上げるd by home drinkers during the pandemic.
輸出（する） 容積／容量s to Britain, Germany, フラン and Spain rose by about 60% on 普通の／平均（する） in 2021 even before the bigger leap of about 73% last year, によれば data from Mexico's Tequila Regulatory 会議.
Michael Merolli, 長，率いる of Pernod Ricard's tequila 商売／仕事, which 含むs Olmeca, said there were far より小数の tequila brands in Europe than the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs, where the market was more 円熟した and 競争の激しい, with new brands 現れるing every week.
He said "premiumization" - where brands 強調する 質 and exclusivity - was also 運動ing prices higher.
U.S. A-listers like Dwayne "The 激しく揺する" Johnson, Kendall Jenner and Kevin Hart have all 開始する，打ち上げるd tequila brands in 最近の years.
Some 産業 players see a 一時的休止，執行延期 from the 不足 of agave, which takes 概略で seven years to 円熟した before it can be 収穫d.
Agave that had been 工場／植物d a few years ago will 結局 be ready to 収穫, said Luis Fernando Felix, 長，率いる of the U.S. and Canadian 操作／手術s at Proximo Spirits, the 子会社 of Mexican distiller Becle that manages Jose Cuervo 配当.
"In about two years, the price of agave will go 負かす／撃墜する because 供給（する） is going to be greater than 需要・要求する," he 追加するd. ($1 = 0.8085 続けざまに猛撃するs; $1 = 18.7636 Mexican pesos) (報告（する）／憶測ing by Richa Naidu and Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Matt Scuffham and Pravin Char)
