Jose Cuervo canned cocktail raises ABV questions in US
A discrepancy between carton and can labelling has prompted questions over Jose Cuervo’s sparkling margarita range in the United States.
A US consumer complaint has drawn attention to an apparent alcohol by volume mismatch in Jose Cuervo Sparkling Margarita canned cocktails. According to Mouse Print, a reader in Kansas purchased a four-pack of Jose Cuervo Sparkling Margarita cans where the outer carton stated 8% ABV while the cans inside were labelled at 5% ABV.
The cans were printed in both English and French, a detail that later became central to understanding the supply chain trail. The question raised was straightforward. Where, exactly, had the missing alcohol gone?
Distributor points to a past packaging error
The product is distributed in the United States by Proximo Spirits. The company responded with an explanation attributing the discrepancy to a historical packaging issue.
According to Proximo Spirits, the problem stemmed from a packaging error made by a co-packing partner in July 2022, during which 5% ABV cans were placed into a limited number of 8% ABV variety pack boxes. The distributor said that once the issue was identified, all potentially affected cases were placed on hold for inspection and destroyed.
Proximo Spirits added that it had no indication over the past three years that any affected product reached the market and said it had not received any similar consumer complaints since the issue was resolved in 2022. The company said it was willing to issue a full refund to the affected consumer.
A Canadian connection emerges
While investigating why the cans were labelled in French, Mouse Print found that Jose Cuervo sparkling margarita products had been banned in parts of Canada earlier this year. The ban was introduced in March in response to US tariffs on Canadian goods, according to provincial listings.
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An official Ontario government liquor store website continues to list the product as banned. This raised the possibility that French-language cans intended for Canada may have been redirected into the US market.
Over more than six weeks, Mouse Print made over a dozen enquiries seeking clarification on manufacturing codes to determine whether the product was recent or dated back to 2022. According to the report, no clear explanation or decoding guidance was provided.
Strong results at parent company level
The labelling dispute contrasts sharply with the financial picture at Becle, the Mexican company that owns Jose Cuervo. As reported by the drinks business, Becle saw its shares jump by more than 6% after posting strong quarterly earnings in October 2025.
Net sales rose by 2.8% for the three months to the end of August, while net income reached 2 billion pesos, more than doubling year on year. Earnings increased by 16.7%, with margins expanding by 270 basis points, according to company results.
Betting on premium Tequila
Despite the US Tequila market being down by around 9%, Becle reaffirmed its full-year guidance and said it expects continued gross margin expansion and volume leverage improvements.
Juan Domingo Beckmann Legorreta, chief executive, said the company’s focus remains on accelerating the US region. Mauricio Vergara Herrera, head of North American operations, added that higher-end Tequilas continue to outperform lower-priced offerings.
the drinks business has reached out to Proximo Spirits for comment.
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