José Cuervo Rebuilds a Tequila Empire

HISTORY This Week

The HISTORY® Channel

History, Education, Society & Culture

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

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) -- Get in touch: [email protected] Follow on Instagram: @historythisweek Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠ To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When you have a Pixel 10, you may get asked a few questions.
0:05.0	Like, what is that?
0:07.0	How did you do that?
0:09.0	And can we use your camera instead?
0:14.0	Ask more of your phone.
0:16.0	Google Pixel 10.
0:20.0	You've reached the final level.
0:22.5	The spicy McNuggets side mission.
0:25.3	Maximum flavour, crispy crunch, and a spicy dip with a kick.
0:29.7	Are you ready?
0:31.7	Spicey McNuggets for a limited time only.
0:35.0	Until the night of September 25, fees apply to delivery.
0:37.4	Participation and price may vary.
0:38.5	Subject to availability, serving time supply.
0:40.3	The History Channel, original podcast.
0:45.2	History This Week, August 28th, 1920.
0:51.1	I'm Alana Casanova Burgess.
0:57.0	It seems like everyone in tequila is gathered in the town's central plaza.
1:02.6	Over the last 10 years, tequila's residents have seen the Mexican revolution upend their lives
1:08.0	and their industry, tequila.
1:11.2	The liquor is named after the town.
1:14.4	And finally, after years of war, the region seems on course for some form of stability.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The HISTORY® Channel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The HISTORY® Channel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.