When the hosts of the popular All-In podcast launched their own tequila brand at a star-studded party last June, all 750 bottles of the $1,200 spirit quickly sold out. But getting those bottles into customers’ hands has proven harder than expected.
The long-awaited bottles of Besties All-In tequila began shipping last week to those who ordered them, ending a nearly five-month-long wait, Jason Calacanis, one of the podcast’s hosts, told TechCrunch.
The holdup was the unusual bottle, Calacanis said: “Handcrafted bottles took a bit longer to create than expected, but the bottles started shipping last week!” The bottle was designed as a collector item and looks like a stack of poker chips illuminated from the bottom. It gives homage to poker, another of the podcast hosts’ favorite pastimes besides drinking tequila.
Buyers were told at that time that they could expect delivery by the end of summer. But summer came and went. The customers not only dished out the $1,200 but also paid taxes and other fees.
A TechCrunch reader told us that delivery was repeatedly delayed: pushed back to October, then November, and most recently, one person was told the delivery would be “after November,” according to a letter seen by TechCrunch from the distributor Flaviar, the spirits marketplace handling distribution.
Both the product’s official website and Flaviar’s communications reflected the shifting timeline — the website originally promised end-of-summer delivery but now says shipments will “begin in November.” The Flaviar letter indicated that deliveries were happening in batches.
While it’s still not clear how long it will take the distributor to fulfill all orders, we at least know that shipments have begun and what the holdup was. With any luck, fans of the VCs, pod bros, and “besties” who host All-In will be sipping on the pricey, handcrafted liquor during the upcoming holiday season.
Flaviar has not yet responded to our request for comment.