ROUND 2 SPIRITS INTRODUCES CRAFT VODKA DISTILLED EXCLUSIVELY FROM 100% BLUE WEBER AGAVE

Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka is Born in Jalisco, Crafted in Texas

MUENSTER, Texas, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Weber Agave is traditionally associated with tequila, which is why the founders of Round 2 Spirits, a new Texas-based venture focused on developing innovative, disruptive, and iconic new spirits brands, knew they had something truly special when crafting Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka, exclusively distilled from this noble plant. Now making its way to bars, restaurants, and retailers across the U.S., Weber Ranch Vodka marks a significant departure for a spirit commonly made from wheat, corn, or potatoes that take just a few months to harvest and use mass industrial methods, compared to Blue Weber Agave which takes up to seven years to mature and is hand-harvested in Jalisco, Mexico.

"By volume, vodka is the largest spirits category in the U.S., but let's be honest, it's been a long time since there was any meaningful innovation or true disruption in this space. I'm not talking about trendy flavors, clever packaging, or crazy rounds of distillation – that's just line extension, differentiation, and iteration, not true disruption," says Lee Applbaum, President and COO of Round 2 Spirits, LLC, who along with his fellow Round 2 founders previously helped build Patrón Tequila into an iconic global brand and understandably have a deep respect for agave-based spirits. "Weber Ranch Vodka is one of the most groundbreaking new products created in this category, and delivers a smooth, clean flavor profile unlike our competitors, largely because of the superior-quality Blue Weber Agave. Better ingredients are key to making a better product, and that's absolutely true in our case."

Weber Ranch Vodka begins its journey in Jalisco, Mexico, where its 100% Blue Weber Agave slowly matures under the warm Mexican sun. The agave is then hand-harvested and distilled in Jalisco before being transported to the Weber Ranch Distillery in Muenster, Texas, where it is further distilled in proprietary copper pot and column stills, filtered, and bottled. It is this second distillation and filtration in Texas, as well as the addition of water from the local Trinity Aquifer, that creates its unique character. Because Weber Ranch Vodka is exclusively crafted from agave, it is naturally 100% gluten, carb, and additive free from garden to glass, and exhibits an extraordinarily unique and clean taste profile that retains all the bright citrus notes from the agave yet creates a velvety smooth mouthfeel unlike any other vodka.

"Blue Weber Agave is truly a special plant that creates a superior spirit, and that's not just limited to tequila," says Antonio Rodriguez, Weber Ranch's master distiller, and the former production director at Patrón Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico. "Weber Ranch Vodka is unmistakably a vodka, but because we're using agave, we're able to develop subtle, smooth flavor notes of tropical fruit and citrus that make this spirit not only better for classic vodka cocktails, but it works equally well in traditional agave-based drinks like a ranch water or paloma. The tremendous versatility is the real magic of this spirit."

"Our mission at Round 2 Spirits is to identify scalable spirits categories – like vodka – that are ripe for disruption. Couple that with our love and respect for agave, not to mention the rapid growth of agave spirits, and that's when the light bulb went off that we could harness the flavorful and complex characteristics of agave to craft a superior vodka that was totally different, and truly better than anything else on the market," adds Applbaum.

Weber Ranch Vodka (80 proof) marks the first product release by Round 2 Spirits and will be available nationally in 750ml, 1L, and 1.75L bottles, marketed through a digital-first approach that leverages social engagement and ecommerce for hyper-targeted consumer awareness.

The Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka name and "F.A.C. Weber 1902" embossed on the custom cork-topped bottle (reminiscent of a flowering agave) is a nod to French botanist Frédéric Albert Constantin Weber who first cataloged this specific species of Blue Weber Agave in 1902 during an expedition to Mexico.

For more information about Weber Ranch Vodka, including cocktail recipes and where to purchase, please visit www.weberranch.com.

About Round 2 Spirits
Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka is owned and created by Round 2 Spirits, LLC, a new Texas-based venture focused on developing innovative, disruptive, and iconic new spirits brands. The company was founded by five spirits executives – all close friends – who reunited and assembled a team of industry talent to leverage their collective experience to identify scalable consumer opportunities for innovative products that aren't being addressed by today's brands. The founding partners previously worked together to create and build Patrón Tequila into one of the most successful brands in the beverage alcohol industry: John Paul DeJoria, the self-made billionaire founder of Patrón Tequila and Paul Mitchell hair care, and a passionate entrepreneur and philanthropist; Ed Brown, for more than 20 years the former Chief Executive Officer of Patrón Spirits, responsible for the brand's $5.1 billion acquisition in 2018 by Bacardi Limited; Lee Applbaum, former Chief Marketing Officer of Patrón Tequila and Grey Goose Vodka who also formerly led marketing teams at Target Australia, Wheels Up, and Coca-Cola over his 30-year career; Brad Vassar, who brings 37 years of senior leadership experience in the industry's wholesale tier, and for 15 years was the COO of Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits; and Dave Wilson, a 40-year industry veteran across manufacturing, finance/administration, and sales/marketing, and was formerly President International and COO of Patrón Spirits. For more information, please visit www.round2spirits.com.

SOURCE Round 2 Spirits, LLC