Tequila is usually about the vibe. You pour a glass, maybe it's Michael Jordan’s brand, and you expect a certain level of "ultra-premium" luxury. But lately, the conversation around the sleek, tall Cincoro bottles has shifted from celebrity glitz to legal jargon.
A cincoro tequila class action lawsuit filed in late 2025 has left a lot of fans scratching their heads. Is it actually 100% agave? Or is there something else in the mix?
People pay a lot for this stuff. We're talking anywhere from $90 for the Blanco to over $1,500 for the Extra Añejo. When you drop that kind of cash, you’re buying a promise of purity. The lawsuit essentially claims that promise was broken. It’s a messy situation that involves high-tech lab testing, angry consumers, and the murky world of tequila additives.
The Core of the Cincoro Tequila Class Action
In August 2025, a Florida resident named Nabil Haschemie decided he’d had enough. He filed a proposed class action against Cinco Spirits Group, LLC—the parent company behind Cincoro—in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The complaint is pretty blunt. It alleges that Cincoro has "knowingly misrepresented" its tequila as being made from 100% Blue Weber agave.
According to the filing, Haschemie didn't just take a wild guess. He commissioned Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) testing. This isn't your average high school chemistry project. NMR testing uses carbon isotope ratio analysis to basically "fingerprint" the alcohol. It looks at where the sugars came from.
The results? The lawsuit claims the testing found "material amounts of ethanol" that didn't come from agave. Specifically, it points toward cane sugar or corn-based alcohol.
Why Agave Purity Actually Matters
If you’re not a tequila nerd, you might wonder why this is a big deal.
In Mexico, "100% de Agave" is a protected legal term. It means every drop of alcohol in that bottle must come from the fermented sugars of the Agave Tequilana Weber Blue variety. If you mix in cane sugar, it's no longer "100% agave." It becomes what’s known as a mixto.
Mixtos aren't illegal, but they’re significantly cheaper to produce. They also don't carry the "ultra-premium" status that Michael Jordan and his partners—including Jeanie Buss and Wyc Grousbeck—have spent years marketing.
The lawsuit argues that consumers wouldn't have paid those eye-watering "GOAT" prices if they knew the spirit was "adulterated" with cheaper fillers.
It's Not Just Michael Jordan
Honestly, Cincoro isn't the only brand in the hot seat. This feels like a domino effect hitting the entire industry.
Diageo, the giant behind Casamigos and Don Julio, has been hit with similar class actions. Costco's Kirkland Signature tequila is also facing heat. The allegations across the board are almost identical: independent lab tests suggesting that these "100% agave" spirits actually contain non-agave sugars.
The industry is currently split into two camps.
On one side, you have the brands and the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT)—the official regulatory body in Mexico. They generally maintain that their certification process is the only one that matters. They’ve even gone after independent groups like the Additive Free Alliance for "unauthorized" certification.
On the other side, you have transparency advocates and litigious consumers who say the current rules allow for too many loopholes. For instance, the CRT allows for up to 1% of additives (glycerin, oak extract, caramel color) without needing to disclose them on the label. But the lawsuits are alleging something much bigger than a 1% drop of vanilla flavoring; they’re alleging significant amounts of non-agave ethanol.
What Cincoro Has to Say
Cinco Spirits Group isn't taking this lying down.
When the news first broke, the brand was quick to issue a statement. They’ve stated clearly that Cincoro is, and always has been, crafted exclusively from 100% Blue Weber agave. They’ve vowed to "vigorously defend" the integrity of the brand in court.
It’s worth noting that these cases are notoriously difficult to prove. Tequila chemistry is complex. Some experts argue that the NMR testing used by the plaintiffs might not be as "settled science" as the lawsuits claim. Factors like the soil, the altitude, and even the specific yeast used during fermentation can sometimes mess with carbon isotope readings.
📖 Related: Why 599 Lexington Avenue Still Anchors the Midtown Skyline
What This Means for You at the Liquor Store
If you’ve got a bottle of Cincoro on your shelf, you don't need to pour it down the drain. This isn't a safety recall. It's a dispute over marketing and value.
But if you’re someone who cares about the "purity" of your spirits, here is how you can navigate the current tequila landscape:
- Look for Transparency: Since the CRT has made it harder for brands to use the "Additive Free" label on bottles, many high-end producers are moving toward radical transparency. Check their websites for details on their ovens (brick vs. autoclave) and extraction methods (tahona vs. diffuser).
- The Price-Quality Gap: Just because a bottle costs $200 doesn't mean it's better than a $50 bottle. In the tequila world, you’re often paying for the celebrity name and the heavy glass bottle design.
- Follow the Litigation: The Cincoro case is still moving through the courts in early 2026. These things take years. If a settlement is eventually reached, consumers who bought the product during specific years might be eligible for a refund.
- Check Independent Databases: Sites like Tequila Matchmaker have historically tracked which brands use additives, though they've faced their own legal pressures recently.
The "tequila boom" of the last five years was built on the idea that this spirit is a clean, natural, and sophisticated choice. Lawsuits like the cincoro tequila class action are forcing the industry to decide if they want to keep that image or if "100% agave" is just going to become another marketing buzzword.
If you’re concerned about a purchase you made, keep your receipts. Class action settlements usually require some proof of purchase, though sometimes they allow for a smaller "no-receipt" claim. For now, the legal battle continues, and the "Share Truth" motto inscribed on the Cincoro bottle caps is being put to its ultimate test in a Florida courtroom.