Marcado 28 Tequila said on August 3 that it has expanded distribution to 14 U.S. markets since its October 2024 launch, according to a company release picked up by BevNET, Wine Industry Advisor and Beverage Information Group. The brand listed California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, D.C. as active territories.
The release credited major chains ABC Fine Wine & Spirits and Total Wine & More, independent retailers Dierbergs and Applejack, and hospitality accounts including Federal Grill and venues tied to OTO Development with fueling the growth. The company described its approach as building state by state rather than pushing for simultaneous coast-to-coast placement, a strategy it says has produced stronger sell-through at the account level. Looking ahead, the release said a new Añejo expression has already been pre-sold to ABC stores ahead of a wider rollout.
Origin and Ownership
Marcado 28 debuted in October 2024 with Blanco and Reposado expressions carried at select ABC Fine Wine & Spirits locations in Florida, according to The Spirits Business. The brand is a partnership among chefs Michael and Bryan Voltaggio, master tequilero Bruno Barba and Spirits That Rock LLC. Michael Voltaggio, the Top Chef season six winner, developed the tattoo-themed concept after meeting Barba on a trip to Jalisco. Tequila is distilled at Auténtica Distillery, identified by its official government NOM registration number 1502, and bottled at 40 percent alcohol by volume, or 80 proof, for both expressions.
Retail pricing at launch was set at $49.99 for the Blanco and $59.99 for the Reposado. The bottle labels, designed by tattoo artists Billy Baca and El Sando, depict imagery including an Alebrije figure and the Aztec deity Mayahuel. Barba is described across company materials as a descendant of the Romo family, though the lineage details are not consistent: one release names a great-grandmother, Feliciano Romo, as having created reposado while working at Herradura, while the brand's own website and its retail partner Spirits and Wines That Rock instead credit a great-great-grandmother, Doña Gabriela De La Peña, with originating the category.
A Northeast Distribution Deal Predates the August Announcement
Part of the footprint cited in the August release traces to a January 2026 deal reported by Fred Minnick, in which Marcado 28 selected Constantine Wines to handle its entry into Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Constantine Wines founder Gus Kalaris said in a release tied to that announcement that his firm brings a curated beverage portfolio to those three markets.
Critical Reception
Marcado 28 has pointed to Wine Enthusiast scores of 94 points for the Blanco and 93 for the Reposado as evidence of critical reception, a figure repeated across the January and August releases. Those marks sit apart from an earlier assessment: spirits ratings site Tastings.com scored the Reposado at 87 points in an evaluation dated March 27, 2025. Drinkhacker reviewed both expressions in 2026, describing the Blanco's palate as round and creamy with notes of agave pulp, lemon peel and cinnamon candy, and grading the pair A minus.
What this means
The word "national" in wire coverage overstates what the release itself documents: 14 states and the District of Columbia is a meaningful two-year build for a brand this age, but it leaves most of the country, including entire regions of the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest, without confirmed placement. Marcado 28 does not currently appear in this publication's blind-tasted bottle set, so no purity or score determination is offered here. The inconsistent family history in the brand's own materials, and the gap between its two published third-party scores, are worth watching as the company leans further into heritage marketing ahead of the Añejo launch.