Kendall Jenner Posts Pictures of Agave Farmers Months After Tequila Backlash
Months after getting called out for cultural appropriation with the launch of her 818 tequila, Kendall Jenner posted a selection of images showing just how involved she is in the process. The gallery includes photos of Kendall with a horse, farmers among the agave plants, and strategically placed bottles and glasses of 818. The gallery ends with a clip of Jenner watching the agave being cooked.
The images could be mistaken for a full-on fashion shoot, especially with Jenner's hat, her braided pigtails, and the artful lighting that features throughout. In her caption, Jenner called the experience of crafting 818 "incredible" and noted that she's loved learning about the culture and people involved in the process (it's also telling that comments have been disabled on the post).
"What an incredible experience i have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, it's [sic] beautiful culture, and the beautiful people!" she wrote. "@drink818 has launched in California ... we will be rolling out to the rest of the US all summer long, keep a look out!!!"
RELATED: Kendall Jenner's 818 Tequila Brand Is Problematic
Jenner's 818 comes from a distillery (NOM 1137) that is used by a many tequila brands. Though the post implies that she's intimately involved in the process, many tequila experts still take issue with the celebrity tequila trend over all.
"Basically they just make barrels and barrels and barrels of tequila, and celebrities come in and literally pick a barrel. So there might be a little bit of a difference [between brands], like this one is aged in French oak and this one is aged in American oak," Lucas Assis, an L.A.-based tequila expert, told InStyle. "But essentially, it's exactly the same bottle, and the celebrity just buys that, and then they just use their marketing and their branding to sell it to you. What you're paying for is the celebrity affiliation, and not the quality of tequila."
