If you haven’t heard yet, Nick Jonas loves tequila—so much so that he now has his own brand in partnership with friend and fashion designer John Varvatos. Together with Stoli Group, Jonas and Varvatos launched Villa One and we had one of the first tastes of the ultra-premium tequilas at an exclusive tasting held in the penthouse of The Greenwich Hotel.
Jonas and Varvatos met two years ago at a dinner party; and after clearing half a bottle of tequila themselves and bonding over fashion and music, Jonas and Varvatos met up the next day in the city, which led to several collaborations including clothing, fragrances and a documentary for Amazon.
“We were wondering what was next when we realized the constant was the celebration of life and tequila was at the center of that so we talked about building a brand together and partnering with someone that can help us take that dream to the next level,” said Jonas.
During a trip to Mexico, Jonas and Varvatos stopped in Cabo where they shared tequila with friends. According to Jonas, he experienced “life as it should be,” which became the anthem for the brand. As for the name, Villa One is where they stayed in Cabo. “It had an authentic beginning and Villa One is more our state of mind in terms of our vision for the brand,” said Jonas. “Tequila to me is like champagne, I share it with friends and there is always a good memory attached to it, so I wanted to bring that experience to Villa One.”
Varvatos credited the real magic and star of the show to master distiller Arturo Fuentes or as Jonas calls him “The Godfather of tequila.” Fuentes has been distilling for over 45 years, including rum, tequila, champagne, and wine. His skill and knowledge of tequila made him the perfect choice to bring Villa One to life in the bottle.
“When we taste the tequila Blanco, it’s soft,” said Fuentes who explained the different types at the exclusive tasting. The Reposado, which is Fuentes’ and Jonas’ favorite, offers a smooth finish with notes of light vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of caramel. According to Fuentes, the reposado is distilled for more than six months in American oak barrels, which gives it its golden amber color. As for the Ańejo, it is distilled for more than 18 months in American oak barrels, which gives it reddish hues and notes of chocolate and spices with a round finish.
Fuentes then added his favorite phrase, “it’s not bad to drink, it’s bad to drink bad,” which is a testament to the quality of the Villa One Tequila.
“Tequila is made famous for doing shots, and the Blanco is perfect for it,” said Jonas. Although his favorite is the Reposado, which he likes to drink on the rocks with an orange wedge and a touch of club soda.
As a type one diabetic, Jonas lives a healthy lifestyle and tequila is the best spirit to have, because it has fewer calories and lower sugar content. “I don’t necessarily mix it, I drink it straight because it’s the healthiest option for me,” said Jonas.
The bottle design was also created by Jonas and Varvatos who are no strangers to collaborating on design projects. “Didn’t we win an award for a fragrance design?” said Jonas, before adding, “it was like the Oscars of fragrance.” When Jonas and Varvatos were at the factory in Mexico they were inspired by authenticity, rather than modernity for their tequila bottles. “Tequila is artisanal and if you look at the hardware on the neck of the bottle to the sandblasted engraving, you can see it’s an authentic feel,” said Varvatos. He added, “We didn’t put our names on it either, because we want it to stand on its own.”
As for the journey of the brand, Jonas and Varvatos put their tequila to the ultimate test—family trial. According to Jonas, his family was painfully honest. “My wife’s favorite is the Reposado, my brothers all like the Reposado and Añejo, but my mother is a new tequila drinker. She owns a restaurant in North Carolina and she put mine up there in her favorites but didn’t quite make the top of the list,” Jonas jokingly added.
The tequila, which is priced between $45 and $60 a bottle will be available to purchase in the U.S. in September. Although Jonas and Varvatos launched the product in New York today. They plan to take the brand to other key markets following along with the Jonas Brothers tour, which will include Chicago, Dallas, Houston, California and Nevada. There are also plans to launch a Villa One lounge, which is invite-only but could be available for ticket purchase in the future. The lounge is a “footprint” that travels with the tour and takes up the whole trailer, which will include a mixologist who travels with the group and creates concoctions for guests and VIPs alike. Varvatos also added there will be tastings held around the country for special clients.
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