Kendall Jenner's 818 Tequila Strikes Major Partnership With The Owner Of Fireball & Buffalo Trace – How Much Did Her Net Worth Just Increase?

I have said this before, and I'll say it again. If you want to make a massive fortune, there's a relatively simple three-step process:

• Step 1: Become a huge celebrity.
• Step 2: Launch an alcohol brand (preferably tequila)
• Step 3: Sell the alcohol brand for a ton of money.

Sammy Hagar (Cabo Wabo tequila) and George Clooney (Casamigos tequila) are really the two pioneers of this three-step process.

Sammy sold Cabo Wabo in two transactions back in 2007 and 2009 for a combined total of $95 million. And while that doesn't seem like much today, it was a stunning windfall for a celebrity brand at the time. The name "Cabo Wabo" was a play on the way people would stumble home from his bar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. They would do the "Cabo wobble."

George Clooney (and two partners, one of whom is Cindy Crawford's husband Rande Gerber) launched Casamigos in 2013. Just four years later, they sold the brand to Diageo for $1 billion. The name "Casamigos" is a portmanteau of the Spanish words for "house" and "friends."

Here is a short list of celebrities who have tequila or Mezcal brands today (and the English translation of the brand name).

• Michael Jordan: Cincoro (five gold)
• The Rock: Teremana (spirit of earth)
• LeBron James: Lobos 1707 (wolves 1707)
• Mark Wahlberg: Flecha Azul (blue arrow)
• Kevin Hart: Gran Coramino (big heart)
• Megan Thee Stallion: Chicas Divertidas (fun girls)
• George Strait: Código 1530 (code 1530)
• Matthew McConaughey and wife Camila Alves: Pantalones (pants)
• Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar: Santo (saint or holy)
• Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul: Dos Hombres
• Kendall Jenner: 818 (the area code covering a bunch of cities north of LA in the San Fernando Valley, including Calabasas, Burbank, and Glendale)

I can't confirm this 100%, but I have a very strong hunch that if you did a little digging, you could trace all these celebrity tequila brands to one massive nameless tequila producer down in Mexico that has this celebrity-tequila-brand-creation process locked down. I imagine the process goes something like this:

The celebrity flies down on a private jet, they have lunch, take a tour, then spend the day taste-testing while brainstorming a quirky name. For the name, I'm certain they are advised to pick some Spanish word or words that reference the celebrity's values and/or personality plus something a bit more native or spiritual. And voila: Carrot Top presents "Sudor Zanahoria" (Carrot Sweat), a smooth reposado whose aftertaste hints of carrots and sweat.

I can't stress enough how successful this three-step plan can be. The Rock is likely on pace to become a BILLIONAIRE thanks to his tequila brand, Teremana. And earlier today, it was revealed that Kendall Jenner had taken on an investment from Sazerac, maker of Fireball and Buffalo Trace. As you may have ascertained from the title of this article, today we are talking in depth about Kendall Jenner's brand 818…

(Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

The 818 Origin Story

Before we really get into it, here are two important stats I want you to keep in mind:

1. In 2006, the year before Sammy Hagar sold 80% of Cabo Wabo, the brand had sold around 140,000 cases
2. When Diageo acquired Casamigos for $1 billion, it was on pace to sell 170,000 cases in 2017. 

When Kendall launched 818 Tequila in February 2021, it looked like it rolled right off that exact celebrity assembly line I just mentioned. Skeptics rolled their eyes and dismissed it as just another vanity project from a reality star.

But here's the thing about the Kardashian-Jenner clan: you can roll your eyes all you want, but they know exactly how to move product. Fast forward five years, and 818 isn't just surviving the crowded agave market—it's a bona fide heavyweight. And Sazerac didn't just partner up for the fun of it; they bought into a proven cash cow.

When the brand officially hit shelves in May 2021, the demand was instantaneous. In just its first seven months of business, 818 reportedly moved a staggering 136,000 cases. Look at that number again. Right out of the gate, Kendall Jenner was moving almost the exact same amount of liquid that Sammy Hagar was moving when he cashed out his Cabo Wabo chips for nearly $100 million.

By its first full calendar year in 2022, 818 Tequila had already crossed $25 million in sales.

But what separates a flash-in-the-pan celebrity brand from a billion-dollar acquisition target is the ability to sustain that momentum when the initial Instagram hype dies down. To do that, Jenner and her executive team of industry veterans made a highly calculated pricing shift in 2024. They dropped the price of their Blanco expression from $45 down to $29.99 to solidify their grip on Gen Z drinkers. Instead of fighting for the ultra-crowded luxury tier, they made a volume play.

The strategy worked perfectly. By 2024, 818 was maintaining a highly profitable volume of approximately 133,000 cases annually, which pushed their estimated gross revenue into the $45 million to $50 million range.

So, What is 818 Worth Today?

This brings us back to the Casamigos comparison. George Clooney sold his brand for $1 billion when it was moving 170,000 cases a year. 818 is currently hovering right around 133,000 cases, and with Sazerac's massive distribution network now throwing fuel on the fire, hitting that 170,000-case milestone is all but guaranteed.

While the tequila market's gold rush multiples have cooled slightly since Diageo backed up the Brink's truck for Clooney, 818's impressive volume and immense cultural relevance make it an incredibly attractive acquisition target. Industry analysts currently value 818 Tequila anywhere from $200 million to $400 million.

We don't know exactly how much of the company Kendall personally owns. Building an international tequila brand requires serious capital and silent partners. But as the founder and the undisputed face of the brand, let's assume Kendall managed to maintain a 30% to 50% equity stake.

Under that scenario, Kendall's personal stake in 818 Tequila would be worth between $60 million and $200 million.

If our napkin math holds up, 818 Tequila hasn't just been a fun side hustle—it has effectively doubled, or perhaps tripled, her net worth on paper. We currently estimate Kendall Jenner's net worth at $150 million, of which we believe $90 million is attributable to 818.

But you know what would be really cool and clever? If 818 continues to grow, mark my word – seriously, remember that I predicted this: At some point in the next few years, Kendall will sell 818 for $818 million. Bookmark that prediction. It's just so obvious and perfect.

And if that happens, assuming she still owns 30-50%, Kendall's pre-tax windfall would be between $245 million and $409 million. With her other fortune, the high end of that range would put her within striking distance of her sister Kylie Jenner's net worth, but would still be far short of Kim Kardashian's net worth.