José Cuervo Rebuilds a Tequila Empire
HISTORY This Week
The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
4.5 • 4.2K Ratings
🗓️ 25 August 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
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Summary
August 28, 1920. In the town of Tequila, fireworks burst overhead as people celebrate Mexico’s independence. Then… gunshots. Malachías Cuervo, heir to the famous tequila dynasty, has just reignited a bitter feud with his family’s rivals, the Sauzas.
For decades, his brother José Cuervo fought to rebuild the family business through drought, revolution, and political upheaval—turning a struggling operation into an empire. His tactfulness allowed Cuervo to survive as one of the most popular tequila brands in the world today.
How is José Cuervo able to navigate the Mexican Revolution, and a cutthroat industry? And what does his life reveal about the history of his country?
Special thanks to Ted Genoways, author of Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico.
Artwork: José Cuervo, ca. 1914 (colorized)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The History Channel, original podcast. |
| 0:04.8 | History This Week, August 28, 1920. |
| 0:11.0 | I'm Alana Casanova Burgess. |
| 0:16.8 | It seems like everyone in tequila is gathered in the town's central plaza. |
| 0:22.3 | Over the last 10 years, tequila's residents have seen the Mexican Revolution upend their lives |
| 0:27.9 | and their industry, tequila. The liquor is named after the town. |
| 0:33.8 | And finally, after years of war, the region seems on course for some form of stability. |
| 0:40.5 | And tonight, with electricity recently restored, it's time to celebrate the anniversary |
| 0:46.0 | of Mexican independence. |
| 0:51.8 | But Malakia's Cuervo is about to disturb this rare sense of peace. |
| 0:59.0 | For years, Malakias's older brother, Jose, has sought to bring sophistication to the family's name and tequila business. |
| 1:08.6 | Quervo Tequila has survived drought, floods, |
| 1:11.5 | and revolution through a constantly evolving |
| 1:14.2 | web of allies and political maneuvering. |
| 1:17.7 | But Malakias, |
| 1:18.8 | Cuervo, named for his father Malakias, |
| 1:21.2 | decides, well, maybe there are more direct ways of campaigning. |
| 1:27.0 | Malakias ambles through the square, |
| 1:29.5 | drunk on his brother's supply. |
| 1:32.3 | In recent years, the family business |
| 1:34.9 | has maintained a delicate truce |
| 1:36.7 | with a rival family in the town, |
... |
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