BLOCKBAR.COM ANNOUNCES 1800® TEQUILA AS ITS FIRST EVER TEQUILA TO GO ON AUCTION
1800 Tequila, the world’s most awarded tequila, will release its first ever NFT corresponding to a bottle of its coveted 1800 Colección Tequila, one of the rarest tequilas in the world. 1800 Tequila worked closely with celebrated surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, prior to her passing, to curate a unique decanter titled “El Rey del Tequila” complementing 1800 Colección rare extra añejo tequila. Carrington created only 15 of these silver-sculpted masterpieces fifteen years ago; never released for public sale. Now only one of these prized decanters is available for the first time as an ultra-exclusive collectible with a starting bid of USD $25,000 exclusively on BlockBar.com, the world’s first DTC NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits.
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, 1800 Tequila will be the first ever tequila to auction on BlockBar.com. Ownership of the NFT includes the “El Rey del Tequila” (2009) Leonora Carrington-designed decanter accompanied by a bottle of 1800 Colección Tequila. The buyer will be invited to visit Jalisco, Mexico for a private tequila tasting at La Rojeña distillery, Latin America’s oldest distillery and the birthplace of tequila. They will also tour Leonora’s Carrington’s exclusive art collection showcasing her connection to the heritage of 1800 Tequila and allowing for a complete immersion in the land that inspired both Carrington and 220 years of 1800 Tequila quality and tradition.
“We’re delighted to mark Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting our first ever tequila auction with the iconic 1800 Tequila,” comments Dov Falic, Co-Founder and CEO of BlockBar. “1800 Tequila has a history of partnering with world-renowned artists and this unique, never-made-available-before decanter designed by surrealist artist Leonora Carrington makes this auction highly desirable for tequila and art lovers alike.”
1800 Colección Tequila celebrates excellence in taste, in both tequila and in art, with past vintages having been paired with decanters custom-designed by renowned creators including Gary Baseman, Bosco Sodi and Hector Velazquez Ortus. As a first for luxury collectors worldwide, this year the brand is releasing one exclusive, limited-edition 1800 Colección Tequila vintage aged in ex-single malt whiskey casks from the United Kingdom as a nod to Leonora Carrington’s birthplace. As a deep-rooted Mexican heritage brand, 1800 Tequila commissioned Leonora Carrington, widely considered one of the most important artists in Mexico during the 20th century, to design a unique decanter complementing the ultra-rare liquid of 1800 Colección Tequila. The British surrealist artist was such an admirer of the agave plant and the liquid derived from it after arriving in Mexico in the 1940’s, that she designed “El Rey del Tequila” (“The King of Tequila”) decanter as a tribute. To be paired with the corresponding bottle of 1800 Colección Tequila, the silver sculpture is infused with amorphous characteristics intrinsic to her work, reflecting the fascinating magic of the heart of the agave.
Only produced and released in the finest years of production, 1800 Colección Tequila is the pinnacle of liquid superiority and a result of a delicate artisan process meticulously supervised by Master Distiller Alejandro Coronado, who creates a special balanced blend between it and the finest aged tequila reserves. 1800 Colección Tequila begins with the selection of the highest-quality agaves that have reached optimum maturity. Following 1800 Tequila tradition, the agaves are steam cooked for several days in stone ovens obtaining a very selected extract, which is then distilled twice, followed by several years of slow aging in ex-single malt whiskey casks. The result is an exquisite, distinctively aged extra añejo tequila with a silky consistency, deep golden color and smooth mellow taste with a subtle touch of caramel, honey and almond that is one of the finest vintages in existence – numbered, limited and certified.
“Always at the forefront of culture, 1800 Tequila partnered with BlockBar to release its first NFT to bring the centuries-old tequila-making tradition to a new audience who appreciates luxury spirits and unique, high-value art,” says Lander Otegui, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Proximo Spirits. “A decades-long champion and benefactor of art and culture, 1800 Tequila will contribute 50% of the proceeds from the 1800 Colección Tequila NFT sale directly back to the Council of Leonora Carrington for preservation of various collections including drawings, sculptures and textiles. With a new generation of luxury spirits drinkers and art collectors, this will be the first of many 1800 Colección Tequila NFTs to come.”
1800 Colección “El Rey del Tequila” bottle and decanter will be auctioned off with a starting bid of USD $25,000 from 10:00am EST on Monday, September 12th, ending at midnight on Thursday, September 15th. Bids can be placed via BlockBar.com and payment may be submitted via ETH, credit card or wire transfer. To make a bid using ETH you must have the funds in your wallet and be connected to BlockBar. At midnight, the winning bidder has two hours to submit the full balance. Full terms and conditions may be found on BlockBar.com. Bidders planning on using wire transfer must pre-approve the funds by going to BlockBar.com, selecting payment method under the profile icon on the top right of the screen and clicking payment methods, and select “verify funds” for pre-approval. The user who successfully checks out will receive an NFT representing ownership of the Leonora Carrington “El Rey del Tequila” decanter and corresponding bottle of 1800 Colección Tequila, which is stored with BlockBar until the bottle owner is ready to redeem. For more information, please visit https://blockbar.com/brands/1800%20Tequila/2506e3f0-aa79-47e4-bdcd-9ef259336d2c
About 1800® Tequila:
1800 Tequila, the world’s most awarded tequila and the #1 premium tequila brand in the US, is made with 100% blue Weber agave harvested at its peak in Tequila, Mexico. Named after the year of origin, 1800 Tequila has never wavered from its original formula and distillation process. Now, as the best taste in tequila, 1800 Tequila has reached category leadership through its liquid superiority, deep-rooted Mexican heritage and culture-driving collaborations with musicians and artists. The iconic bottle is also recognized for its trapezoidal shape, reminiscent of the centuries-old Mayan stone pyramids found throughout Mexico. Please visit 1800Tequila.com to learn more about the 1800 Tequila portfolio: Blanco, Coconut, Reposado, Añejo, Cristalino, Milenio, Colección and The Ultimate Margarita. Trademarks owned by JC Master Distribution Limited ©2022 Proximo, Jersey City, NJ. Please drink responsibly.
About BlockBar:
Founded in October 2021, BlockBar sells NFTs directly from luxury wines and spirits brands. Each NFT corresponds to an actual physical bottle, exclusive to BlockBar, available to purchase with ETH, credit card or wire transfer. Owners can resell, collect, gift or at any point «burn» their NFT in exchange for the physical bottle, shipped from BlockBar’s secure facility in Singapore with 24/7 security, motion sensors and temperature control. BlockBar only partners directly with brand owners including LVMH, Diageo, Bacardi, Pernod Ricard, Sazerac, William Grant & Sons and more, and does not take collections from third parties or collectors. BlockBar is democratizing access to luxury wines and spirits allowing anyone, anywhere in the world to participate, while offering bottle owners storage, insurance and a marketplace to re-sell their bottles purchased on BlockBar’s platform. BlockBar’s proprietary smart contracts verify authenticity tracing every transaction directly back to the partnering brand, and its partnership with top cyber- and crypto-security firms ensures that transactions are fully protected and transparent. For more information, please visit BlockBar.com.
