Say g’day to Beudi – Australia’s fresh new take on agave spirits
Tequila and agave spirits have come a long way in recent years. Once the beverage of choice for hurried shots in crowded nightclubs, the spirit is now viewed as a much more refined, sophisticated sip. Australians, in particular, have fully embraced the shift – so much so that we’re now the third largest consumers of agave spirits in the world. If you’re partial to a pour, there’s a new player in the game, one that’s born much closer to home. Meet Beudi, the brand-new Northern Rivers-distilled agave spirit set to take your at-home cocktails to the next level.
Beudi (pronounced beauty, but with a proper Aussie twang) is the brainchild of four industry veterans – Jack Connor (of Rosella’s fame), Pat Coulson (Stone & Wood), Dane Pitman (Stone & Wood, Garage Entertainment, Guinness and Kirin) and Tom Ruhl (Stone & Wood, Travla Beer and Black Hops Brewing) – who share more than 50 years of experience in craft beer and spirits. Together, they’ve set out to champion Australian-grown agave and native ingredients, blending premium quality with a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“Not only do we have a palette for the [agave] plant’s juice, we also happen to have a climate that is perfectly suited to growing it. While the international tequila market has experienced exponential growth for several years, the sun is just rising on Australian grown and distilled agave,” says Pat Coulson.
Launching this August, Beudi is rolling out two core spirits and a pair of ready-to-drink cocktails. There’s Beudi Blanco, a fresh and vibrant agave spirit with notes of vanilla, citrus and a little jalapeno kick – designed to be sipped neat, on the rocks or mixed into your favourite cocktails. Then there’s the Beudi Margi Spirit, Australia’s first bottled margarita base made with Blanco and sunrise lime liqueur. Add fresh lime and ice, give it a shake and you’ve made the perfect marg without breaking a sweat.
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If you’re more of a tin-in-hand type, Beudi has you covered with two sparkling ready-to-drink options. The Sparkling Margi is a bubbly twist on the classic margarita, while Bushwater pairs Blanco with desert lime and soda for a crisp, citrusy hit that’s unmistakably Australian.
“We’re building a brand that is true to who we are – approachable, premium and unapologetically Australian. We’re serious about good drinks, driven by locality and sustainability, while being down to earth and proud of our land,” adds Jack Connor.
But Beudi is more than a good sip. The brand is committed to connection, sustainability and giving back, with one-percent of net revenue pledged to Australian wildlife and conservation efforts. They’re also working towards using 100-percent Australian-grown agave and all-native ingredients – the sunrise and desert limes that give Beudi its distinctive flavour are sourced through Indigenous-owned social enterprise Bush to Bowl.
For now, Beudi is focusing on its home turf with distribution across the Northern Rivers, Gold Coast and Brisbane (you’ll spot it at bars like Rosella’s, Restaurant Labart, Apres Surf and Savile Row). But with its playful spirit and seriously good sip, we’ve got a feeling you’ll see it popping up on a shelf near you oh-so-soon. Get yours here.