Brent Hocking
Brent Hocking | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founder of DeLeón Tequila, Co-founder of Virginia Black Whiskey |
Brent Hocking is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of DeLeón Tequila, which he launched in 2009, and Virginia Black Whiskey, which he co-founded with Drake in 2016. Hocking grew up in Compton, California and has lived in Southern California for most of his life.[1]
Hocking left his job in finance[2] in 2006 to start his own brand of tequila, which later became known as DeLeón Tequila. Hocking bought a distillery in Purísima del Rincón, Mexico and launched the brand in 2009.[3] Hocking sold the brand to Diageo and Sean Combs in 2014 for an undisclosed amount.[4] Hocking is the co-founder of Virginia Black Whiskey, a venture he launched with Drake in 2016.[1]
In 2019, Hocking launched Mod Sélection Champagne stating; "What I’m doing with champagne is very much in line with what I did in tequila. [With DeLeón], I partnered with a family who had been producing a high-quality product for generations but never exported to the US. I came in and furthered their tradition and technique by selecting only the most pure, mature and superior quality agave available, which resulted in a supremely pure and unadulterated product. This is exactly what I’m doing with our vines in Champagne, France."[5]
Hocking has been credited with creating "a whole new class of tequila"[6] and "a new generation of Champagne':[7] “If you know anything about me, you know my background (and passion) has always been in wine. I started aging DeLeón Tequila in Sauternes wine barrels … 10 years before anyone else in the market caught on. Barrel aging and flavor profile have always been paramount to me … and Champagne is a natural progression. What we’re doing ... is nothing short of revolutionary and very much in line with what I’ve done in the tequila and American whiskey space.”[8]
Under Hocking, DeLeón Tequila won the following awards:
- Robb Report's 2011 ‘Spirit of the Year’ for DeLeón Añejo Tequila[9]
- Robb Report's 2012 ‘Spirit of the Year’ for DeLeón Extra Añejo Tequila[10]
- Robb Report's 2013 ‘Spirit of the Year’ for DeLeón Leóna Tequila[11]
- “M&A International Consumer Retail & Products Deal of the Year" following the sale of DeLeón Tequila.
Virginia Black Whiskey won the following awards:
- 91 points by Wine Enthusiast for Virginia Black[12]
Mod Sélection Champagne won the following awards:
- 97 points by James Suckling for Mod Sélection Vintage Rosé Champagne[13][14]
- 96 points by James Suckling for Mod Sélection Vintage Réserve Champagne[13][15]
- 95 points by James Suckling for Mod Sélection NV Réserve Champagne[13][16]
- 95 points by James Suckling for Mod Sélection NV Rosé Champagne[13][17]
- 94 points by James Suckling for Mod Sélection NV Blanc de Blancs[18]
- 94 points by James Suckling for Mod Sélection NV Blanc de Noirs[19]
- 98 points by Anthony Dias Blue 'Blue Lifestyle' for Mod Sélection Vintage, Réserve and Rosé Champagne[7]
- 97 points by Anthony Dias Blue 'Blue Lifestyle' Mod Sélection NV Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs[7]
References
- ^ a b Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (7 September 2016). "Meet The Man Behind Drake's Virginia Black Whiskey". Forbes. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ https://pursuitist.com/exclusive-interview-mod-selection-champagne-founder-brent-hocking/
- ^ Roberts, Daniel (31 May 2013). "Tequila! But not for spring breakers". Fortune. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ Geller, Martinne (8 January 2014). "Diageo joins with Diddy for a second drink, DeLeon tequila". Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ https://elitetraveler.com/leaders-in-luxury/mod-selections-brent-hocking
- ^ https://www.fb101.com/a-new-generation-of-champagne-has-arrived/
- ^ a b c https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2019/12/02/mod-selection-is-this-a-new-generation-of-champagne/?sh=370b93573fcb
- ^ https://robbreport.com/food-drink/wine/drake-and-brent-hocking-dare-to-shake-up-champagne-2841871/
- ^ Carlton-Hacker, Richard (June 2011). "Best of the Best 2011 Luxury Portfolio". Robb Report: 194–195.
- ^ Carleton-Hacker, Richard (June 2012). "Best of the Best 2012: Spirits". Robb Report.
- ^ Carleton-Hacker, Richard (June 2013). "Best of the Best 2013". Robb Report: 229–230.
- ^ https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/virginia-black-american-whiskey/
- ^ a b c d https://www.jamessuckling.com/tasting-notes/136075/mod-selection-champagne-vintage-2008/
- ^ https://ginsbergchan.com/products/mod-selection-rose-vintage-2008
- ^ https://ginsbergchan.com/products/mod-selection-reserve-vintage-2009
- ^ https://ginsbergchan.com/collections/all/products/mod-selection-reserve-nv#
- ^ https://ginsbergchan.com/collections/all/products/mod-selection-rose-nv-1
- ^ https://ginsbergchan.com/collections/all/products/mod-selection-blanc-de-blanc-nv
- ^ https://ginsbergchan.com/collections/all/products/mod-selection-blanc-de-noir-nv
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