There’s no evidence that popular tequila brands were recalled


Don Julio tequila, 9-13-2024
Bottles of Don Julio tequila. (AP)

Social media posts are claiming there’s something horrible floating in bottles of three popular tequila brands.

“Alcohol recall!!!!! Fecal matter found in Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney!!” a Sept. 10 Facebook post said.

The Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

We found multiple social media posts making the same claim on Facebook, Threads, TikTok and X.

But none of the posts provide evidence that any of the products were recalled.

Tequila screenshot, 9-13-2024
Figure 1: Tequila screenshot, 9-13-2024

(Facebook screenshot)

We found no news reports or recall announcements in Google News and the Nexis news database. We checked the websites and social media accounts for Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney and found nothing about a product recall.

We also checked websites of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Products and found no alerts or announcements that any of these products were recalled.Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

A company that provides public relations for Diageo, Don Julio’s parent company, told PolitiFact the claim is false and there are no recalls for any Don Julio tequila products.

It noted that a person who made an initial claim on social media has since shared a TikTok post saying it wasn’t true. 

That TikTok user posted a video about a Don Julio recall, garnering 18,000 likes. After searching on Google and seeing her original video among top search results, she posted a follow-up video, saying “Baby, I am not a credible source. Baby, I am not reliable.”

We contacted Patron and Pink Whitney but received no immediate response.

A Facebook post’s claim that Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila products were recalled due to containing fecal matter lacks evidence. We rate the claim False.

PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact-check.

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

If your time is short

  • There’s no evidence that Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila products were recalled because they contained fecal matter.

  • A spokesperson for Don Julio’s parent company said the claim is false.

Statement

Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila recalled because they contained fecal matter.

Context

a Facebook post

Speaker/Target

Statement Date

September 10, 2024
Our Sources

Facebook post, Sept. 10, 2024

TikTok video, Sept. 10, 2024

TikTok video, Sept. 10, 2024

Emailed statement, Diageo spokesperson Sept. 13, 2024

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts, accessed Sept. 13, 2024

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Press Releases, accessed Sept. 13, 2024

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, News and events, accessed Sept. 13, 2024

Searches of Google News and Nexis news database, Sept. 13, 2024

Patrón Tequila website, X, Facebook and Instagram pages

Pink Whitney website, X, Facebook and Instagram pages

Don Julio website, Facebook and Instagram pages

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