Japanese Jim Beam Gets In The Spirit With Justin Timberlake Tequila

Jim Beam being newly acquired by Japanese company Suntory had everyone lamenting the death of good ole fashioned American liquor. But have no fear, Justin Timberlake is here.

As previously reported on The Inquisitr, Suntory’s acquisition of Jim Beam is worth $13.62 billion and helped see the companies shares soar through the roof. But Jim Beam is not rolling over and playing dead.

Last Thursday, Jim Beam purchased Justin Timberlake’s brand of tequila, 901 Silver Tequila, previously marketed by Tequilera Newton distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. No stranger to the tequila game, Timberlake has been selling his brand since 2009. In 2012, Timberlake took home the gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for his Mexico based liquor.

Jim Beam will market the newly acquired tequila under their Sauza brand, with the special tag “901”. 901 is the area code for the part of Memphis he is from. Jim Beam’s entire line of Sauza products will give Timberlake the name recognition he needs to break into the liquor game.

The famous Tennessee based liquor company was not looking for a big name star to partner with. In fact, they prefer not to use celebrity names and faces to market their product. They believe that what’s in the bottle should speak for itself. And that is exactly why the 901 tequila was such an attractive opportunity.

North American Jim Beam president Bill Newlands told Forbes in an interview, “We’re not interested in going out and doing a talking-head routine. We believe in finding a founder. Yes, he happens to be a celebrity and that has a lot of value but he has a lot of passion for this.” He also went on to say they believe in the quality of the 901 brand.

Suaza 901 is an aguave based liquor that will be available early in 2014 for around $30. This partnership with Jim Beam is just another in the highly diversified portfolio of Justin Timberlake. He is one of the most marketable all around celebrities in the world. Deals with major companies like Target and Anheuser-Busch, have helped push the former teen Disney singer into the world of business and entrepreneurship.

With the Grammy’s coming and Timberlake sure to clean up there, there is a lot to be celebrating in his world. Japanese Jim Beam, meet Justin Timberlake tequila. Banzai, y’all.