George Clooney's new tequila will fund Sudanese satellite

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George Clooney's new tequila will fund Sudanese satellite

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Actor's Casamigos brand is earning rave reviews while also raising cash to help monitor the conflict in the Sudan.

Tue, Feb 26 2013 at 2:15 PM


Don't look now, but George Clooney has another massive hit on his hands — and it has absolutely nothing to do with Hollywood.

The actor, who took home yet another Oscar last weekend for his producing role on "Argo," recently launched a new brand of tequila called Casamigos. Made from 100 percent Blue Weber agave, the line includes a clear "blanco" and a darker, oak-aged "reposado," with each earning praise from tequila aficionados.

"It's a gorgeous, light amber color, and it smells divine, with aromas of sandalwood and vanilla," writes Victor Ozols of BlackBook on the reposado. "On the palate it's pure pleasure: smooth, smokey, and mildly sweet, featuring the vegetal note of the agave without the bitter ick factor found in cheap tequilas. I tasted faint whispers of artichoke and honey, as if the savory and the sweet were doing a sexy dance together."

That Clooney could pull off a commercial tequila in his spare time is the result of a collaboration with longtime pal Rande Gerber, a successful owner of high-end bars and lounges who also happens to know a thing or two about launching a new spirit. The story goes that they made some initial batches just to indulge in their love of tequila, but soon decided to expand and make a commercial run of it.

“We were always looking for the perfect tequila and we could never find it, so we said, ‘What the hell? Let’s give it a shot and make our own,’ ” Clooney told The Miami Herald in January. “I’m not just endorsing this. It’s ours. … I even crushed the agave with my own feet.”

Of course this being George Clooney, he's not interested in padding his bank account with the profits, but using it to fund something close to his heart.

"Our tequila is doing really well, so I'm just going to stick with that for a while," George told E! Online. "I have a satellite over South Sudan that I'm trying to keep some people alive with. It costs me a lot of money every year so now I'm getting it paid for."

The 51-year-old launched the Satellite Sentinel Project back in 2010 with an aim to capture real-time satellite imagery of potential threats to civilians along both sides of the Sudanese border.

"We want to let potential perpetrators of genocide and other war crimes know that we're watching — the world is watching," Clooney said. "War criminals thrive in the dark. It's a lot harder to commit mass atrocities in the glare of the media spotlight."

ou can learn more about the Satellite Sentinel Project here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]