Our Story

Where did it all begin?

Tribe Gin & Friendship

Three like-minded individuals came together with a vision. All great friends and first worked together on various projects, including Tribe Gin. Connections through shared hobbies, mindset, values and work ethic - realised we all had amazing individual strengths that were formidable when we all came together. A true force to be reckoned with, that we wanted to translate into a shared initiative. This got us thinking, and resulted in many brainstorming sessions and meetings - what’s next in the Irish spirit world?

Why Tequila?

The traditional route for Irish spirit companies is to launch gin initially and then wait for the maturing of a whiskey. We wanted to go down the unconventional route by launching a tequila influenced by our Irish roots, looking ahead of the curve and setting the trend for what would undoubtedly be a huge industry in Ireland. We saw that it was the bold next step, and something we were passionate about - we’re all big tequila drinkers and advocates, and knew it hadn’t been done in Ireland yet. We wanted to be the first Irish owned tequila - as emulated in our brand, the trendsetters of this industry. It was a risk that we were all excited to take, with no guidelines, rulebooks or company to emulate. We had to carve out our own path - true trailblazers.

Something we were very aware of is the global markets, particularly Ireland, not understanding or appreciating premium tequila. Why are we such big tequila fans? Why do we love it? Why is it the fastest growing spirit in recent years? As it’s so misrepresented in Ireland, we found it was more premium when we went abroad. Why was Ireland missing out? Why wasn’t there something there for us?

We were in the distillery for the entire day sipping premium tequila with an amazing high, feel-good energy and knew it was down to the tequila, and the comradery it brings too.

We want to change the perception of tequila in Ireland - don’t just knock it back for the sake of it. Alongside the amazing feeling, there are relative health benefits too. With less than 80 calories per serving, it doesn't spike your blood sugar, positioned on the low glycemic index due to the agave. We’re all very conscious of what we put into our bodies, but also want to have a good time. We wanted to give people the best of both worlds - drink it straight when you’re on a strict health kick without compromising on fun. Have fruity cocktails when abroad, on holidays, celebrating.

Finding Our Distilling Partners

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the most recognised spirit competition in the world. Our distilling partner has won numerous awards in this competition, with Cinco Patricio’s ultimately winning an award before it even hit Irish shelves. They had a shared ethos with us of producing quality spirits and appreciate the skill of the craft, and after meeting with multiple other reputable distilleries, we knew that Tequila Spirits Mexico, nestled beside a volcano outside Guadalajara, were the perfect match for us. Master Tequilero Jesus Correa, a fifth-generation distiller, shared our enthusiasm and vision, bringing a wealth of experience that brought the critical authenticity to Cinco Patricio’s.

Cinco Patricio’s Was Born

Cinco Patricio’s was born through the tribute to Los San Patricios, also known as Saint Patrick’s Battalion. Los San Patricios was a group of primarily Irish immigrants who fought alongside the Mexicans in the Mexican War of Indepence in 1846. They sympathised with the Mexicans and their struggle, absconding from the Yankee army to join the Mexican cause. The army of 200 brave Irish, led by John Riley from Clifden Galway, where all three of our founders were born, the story of Cinco Patricio’s embodies these themes of glory, injustice and doing what’s bold and right.