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 LOS ANGELES (AP) - A dispute is brewing between a Mexican tequila trade group and a Southern California distiller who wants to sell his American-made agave liquor under the name "Temequila."
The Mexican Tequila Regulatory Council says J.B. Wagoner's "Temequila" brand sounds similar to tequila and may fool customers into thinking it's the Mexican-made liquor. International trade laws forbid use of the name tequila unless it's made from blue agave in designated regions of Mexico, including Jalisco and four other states.
"He's free to produce an agave distillate, but he cannot call it anything that resembles tequila," said Judith Meza, a representative for the council, which includes Mexican agave growers, tequila producers and distributors. Just as clauses in the North American Free Trade Agreement protect the name tequila, she said, other parts of the agreement bar Mexican manufacturers from using U.S. names such as bourbon and Tennessee whiskey.
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