Tequila should be unique to Mexico

Mexico wants its tequila and, therefore, is trying to claim the right to be the sole bottler… Mexico wants its tequila and, therefore, is trying to claim the right to be the sole bottler of that liquor.

But U.S. bottlers are trying to worm their way out of this change – citing the North American Free Trade Agreement as evidence that Mexico does not have jurisdiction over its exports.

Apparently, tequila has warped the bottlers’ vision, causing them to assert that NAFTA was put in place for the United States’ benefit only, excluding Canada and Mexico.

As Mike Griesser, vice chairman of McCormick Distilling Co., an American tequila distributor said, in a Sept. 25 Associated Press article, “This is a jobs issue.”

Since this is mostly a jobs issue, Mexico has the right to try to boost its economy through promoting its national product.

Previously, tequila was imported in bulk from Mexico and bottled in places like Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri, clearly famous for their tequila-bottling prowess. If the changes the Mexican government wants to enact are put in place, all tequila will be made and bottled in Mexico.

Will this lead to a tequila dry-out, with salt-less hands and lime-less lips on campuses nationwide? Will Jimmy Buffet start singing odes to the lesser liquors? Wasting away in amaretto-burgh just doesn’t have that ring to it.

No worries, though. Ending “bulk shipments” just means tequila will come in bottles rather than larger containers. Whether or not there will be a price-hike remains to be seen, considering that the Mexican government will not issue its official rule until next month.

But so far, Mexico’s aim seems to be merely improving its product, which will bolster its economy. And wasn’t that NAFTA’s original intent – economic viability for the three countries involved?

Will jobs be lost in the United States as a result of this decision? Probably, but since the companies already own bottling equipment, surely there are other liquors available to bottle. Much of the liquor imported into the United States is done in bulk, and prohibition doesn’t look like it’s returning anytime soon.

It should be noted that other countries have trademarked alcohols, like champagne and cognac, which are unique to certain French regions. In fact, the European Union is currently petitioning to protect these products as geographically specific.

Mexico has a vested interest in promoting a product internationally recognized as being solely from that country. Just as France claims Champagne, and Canada claims curling, Mexico should be allowed to claim tequila.