Diageo Korea's tequila Don Julio 1942 won Best of 2026 in the spirits institutional sector at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards.
The Korea Wine & Spirits Awards is Korea's leading comprehensive liquor competition, now in its 13th year. With the goal of "discovering quality domestic liquor, promoting it widely, and supporting the formation of a sound drinking culture," ChosunBiz has held it annually since 2014.
This year's event drew 260 companies submitting a total of 1,118 brands. It is the largest among domestic competitions that cover all categories of liquor. Of these, 449 brands won the grand prize.
Don Julio 1942 is the top-tier product in the lineup of Don Julio, the premium tequila brand representing Mexico, the home of tequila.
Don Julio 1942 was released in 2002 to mark the 60th anniversary of founder Don Julio Gonzalez's tequila production. The name was inspired by 1942, the year Gonzalez first made tequila.
Don Julio 1942 ferments its distillate of 100% blue agave grown in Mexico's Jalisco highlands using a proprietary yeast. It undergoes a maturation process of at least two years in American white oak barrels. From agave cultivation and harvest to fermentation, aging, and bottling, the production process takes at least eight years.
Don Julio 1942 boasts deep flavors that harmonize aromas of caramel, hazelnut, almond, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate with warm oak and roasted agave, a subtle and smooth texture, and a pleasant dark-chocolate finish. The bottle design is inspired by the long, curved agave leaf.
Don Julio 1942 is also chosen as a celebratory drink at prestigious arts awards at home and abroad, cementing its status as a global luxury tequila. In Korea, it was selected as the official liquor partner of the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Diageo Korea won six crowns at the 2026 Korea Wine & Spirits Awards. In addition to Don Julio 1942 and Guinness Draught, which were selected as Best of 2026 in the spirits and imported beer institutional sectors, blended whisky Johnnie Walker Blue Label, single malt whisky The Singleton Dufftown 15 Year Old, nonalcoholic beer Guinness 0.0, and liqueur Baileys each won the grand prize in their respective categories.