As tequila continues to emerge as a high-growth category within India’s premium alcobev market, Diageo India-owned Don Julio is expanding its consumer outreach through culture and experience-led initiatives.

The brand recently collaborated with designer Anamika Khanna on a Mexican-inspired capsule collection. 

Earlier this month, the brand also brought Cinco de Mayo celebrations to Delhi through an immersive event centred on Mexican heritage and craftsmanship.

We caught up with Ruchira Jaitly, chief marketing officer, Diageo India, to learn more about the rise of tequila as a premium category in the country, brand's experiential marketing initiatives for Don Julio, its recent partnership with Anamika Khanna, and more. 

Edited excerpts:

Tequila has moved from a niche import to a fast-growing premium category in India. What key consumer shifts are driving this surge?

We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how Indian consumers engage with spirits. The growth of tequila is being driven by a broader 'drink better, not more' mindset, where consumers are prioritising quality, craftsmanship, and experience over sheer volume. There’s also a clear move toward white spirits, particularly among younger, urban consumers who are looking for lighter, more versatile options that work well in contemporary cocktails. Tequila, especially 100% agave variants, fits perfectly into this shift - moving from a shot-led perception to a more refined, sipping and mixology-led experience.

At the same time, India’s premiumisation journey is accelerating rapidly, with consumers increasingly trading up and exploring global categories. Tequila is benefiting from this openness to experimentation, alongside a growing cocktail culture that’s elevating serves like the Paloma or Picante.

How is Don Julio positioning itself within India’s premium tequila spectrum?

Don Julio is positioned as a true luxury tequila, rooted in craftsmanship, heritage, and a philosophy of 'Por Amor', which translates to creating with love, care, and intention. As a brand we are going beyond liquid storytelling with meaningful storytelling, purpose led collaborations, immersive experiences, and anchoring the brand within monumental celebrations and culturally significant moments that bring people together. The recent collaboration with Anamika Khanna is a strong expression of this approach. By bringing together Mexican heritage with Indian craftsmanship, we were able to translate the philosophy into a cultural moment that extended beyond the bar, and into the world of fashion, craft, and design. In India, we’re consciously shaping tequila as a sipping and appreciation-led category, anchored in authenticity and provenance. At the same time, we’re building aspiration by placing Don Julio at the intersection of culture, design, craft, and contemporary lifestyle—making it relevant to a consumer who sees luxury as deeply personal, expressive, and experience-led.

The collaboration with Anamika Khanna signals a move into lifestyle territory. How does this partnership help the brand penetrate lifestyle circles?

Luxury today operates within culture, not categories. For a brand like Don Julio, this means showing up in spaces that shape taste, identity, and self-expression - whether that’s fashion, design, or the broader creative ecosystem. The collaboration with Anamika Khanna allows us to do exactly that. It brings the brand into a cultural context where craftsmanship, narrative, and individuality are already deeply valued, enabling us to connect with audiences in a more organic and meaningful way. What makes this partnership particularly compelling is the interplay between Mexican heritage and Indian craftsmanship. By translating the brand’s philosophy into a couture-led expression, we’re able to create a new cultural language - one that feels both globally rooted and locally resonant. This approach helps us move beyond traditional consumption occasions and position Don Julio as part of a broader lifestyle - where the brand is not just experienced but interpreted and expressed through culture.

Do you see many luxury spirits increasingly aligning with fashion, art, and design to build cultural capital in India?

Absolutely. We’re already seeing a strong convergence between luxury spirits and the broader creative industries. Today’s consumer doesn’t view brands in silos - they engage with them as part of a larger cultural ecosystem. Fashion, art, music, and design are powerful expressions of identity, and luxury brands need to participate in these spaces to remain relevant. For spirits, this alignment allows us to move beyond functional consumption into cultural storytelling. It builds deeper emotional equity and positions the brand as part of a lifestyle rather than just a product. In India, this is particularly important because the new-age affluent consumer is globally exposed, culturally curious, and actively seeking brands that reflect their worldview and aspirations.

Don Julio is investing heavily in cultural moments like Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead. How do you evaluate ROI on such large-scale experiential IPs?

For us, the success of experiential IPs extends beyond immediate metrics - it’s rooted in long-term brand building and cultural relevance. While tangible outcomes are important, we place equal emphasis on consumer connection - reflected in the quality of interactions, the emotional resonance of the experience, and how these moments continue to live on in conversations, both on-ground and digitally. By anchoring ourselves in monumental celebrations like Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead, we’re able to translate our global heritage into locally relevant, culturally immersive experiences. This allows us to go beyond the liquid - using storytelling, design, and collaborations to create moments that feel authentic, memorable, and rooted in both global and local culture. Experiential platforms allow us to move from being a passive brand presence to becoming an active participant in the consumer’s cultural journey. They create emotional connection, drive recall, and build aspiration. Over time, these properties also become ownable cultural moments, returning each year with greater scale and anticipation, which compounds their impact significantly.

How do you balance global brand codes of Don Julio with the need for local cultural relevance in India?

The key is to remain deeply anchored in the brand’s core philosophy, while allowing it to be interpreted through the lens of local culture. For Don Julio, that foundation - its Mexican heritage, commitment to craftsmanship, and the philosophy of 'Por Amor' - remains constant. What evolves across markets is how that philosophy is expressed in a way that feels culturally meaningful and contextually relevant. In India, this translates into collaborating with local creators, engaging with culturally significant moments, and designing experiences that resonate with the sensibilities of a modern, globally aware Indian consumer. It’s about understanding the nuances of how luxury is perceived and expressed locally, while maintaining the integrity of the brand’s DNA. Ultimately, it’s not about localisation for visibility, but about building genuine cultural intersections that add depth, relevance, and meaning to the brand experience.

There’s a clear shift from product-led to experience-led engagement. What does this mean for marketing budget allocation and team structures within Diageo India?

The shift toward experience-led engagement reflects how consumers are choosing to interact with brands today. As a result, we’re increasingly investing in immersive, high-impact experiences that allow consumers to engage with the brand in a more meaningful way. This doesn’t necessarily mean a complete shift away from traditional channels, but rather a more integrated approach where experiences, content, and digital amplification work together. From an organisational standpoint, it requires more cross-functional collaboration - bringing together brand, culture, partnerships, and digital teams to create cohesive narratives. It’s also about building capabilities in areas like experiential design, cultural programming, and community engagement, which are becoming just as important as traditional marketing functions.

What’s next for Don Julio - new markets, new collaborations, or deeper investment in experiential IPs?

The focus for Don Julio in India is to continue building a strong cultural footprint while deepening our presence within the premium tequila space. You will see us continue to scale experiential IPs that can evolve into ownable cultural moments over time, alongside collaborations that bring fresh creative perspectives to the brand. A key part of this will also be anchoring the brand in monumental celebrations and culturally significant moments, allowing us to create deeper, more immersive connections with consumers.

At the same time, we’re focused on expanding awareness and accessibility in a way that stays true to our luxury positioning - ensuring that every touchpoint, whether it’s a product, an experience, or a collaboration, reinforces the brand’s philosophy. Ultimately, our ambition is to shape how tequila is experienced in India - moving it firmly into the realm of culture, craft, and contemporary luxury.