WILMINGTON, N.C. — North Carolina’s Blue Shark Vodka has a new sister spirit: Hacienda Chactun Tequila. The new North Carolina-based tequila went on sale at ABC stores across the state this week — but the makers had to overcome some challenges.
Hacienda Chactun Tequila is inspired by Chactun, Mexico, an archeological site dating back to the Mayan civilization. Mark "The Shark" Bloomquist (also known as "Chief") and his team at Daytoon Distributors came up with the idea for an authentic tequila years ago and have been working for over a decade to make it a reality.
Chactun Tequila is made from blue agave grown in Jalisco, Mexico. Once ripe — a process that can take up to 15 years — it’s harvested and distilled using traditional methods. You can learn more about how Chactun makes its tequila here.
The result is a crisp, smooth tequila.
But this tequila was stolen before it ever even made it to stores.
“This is devastating,” Bloomquist said. “You just have to pick yourself up, take your head out of the sand, and get going again, but quite frankly, this is something we never ever thought would happen.”
Bloomquist says just before Christmas, 19,000 bottles of their Reposado Tequila were taken in a sophisticated criminal operation called a fictitious pickup. Those bottles should have been transported to North Carolina from Mexico but instead were intercepted in Texas and taken to California. The criminals behind the heist were sending false updates about delays the whole time.
The Los Angeles Police Department was able to recover most of the bottles and sent them to the distillery in North Carolina.
Bloomquist says every one of those bottles will now sit in the warehouse untouched. It’s not only a huge monetary loss, but a loss of 11 years of time and effort as well.
“This is … 11 years of work. The good thing is we have so much blue agave growing and maturing that we’re able to recover, but this product here will never be sold to the public,” Bloomquist said. “We will be shrink-wrapping it in green and be storing it away, and we’ll wait for the insurance companies to figure it out, but unfortunately, some of the best reposado in the world will go unclaimed.”
Bloomquist is a former diver for the U.S. Navy and says he’s disappointed that this heist happened on American soil.
But it’s Daytoon Distributor’s veteran roots that show they won’t go down without a fight. Although the theft may have been shocking and saddening, Bloomquist says he wasn’t going to let it slow down the release.
The Blanco tequila, which was not part of the theft, was released Jan. 15 and is already in ABC stores across the state. Wilmington’s Tequila Comida and Cantina have made the Blanco its house tequila.
“I really highly recommend this tequila, it’s so delicious,” said Luis Marez, manager and bartender of the restaurant. “Every customer that we offer, they give us thumbs up. They like it, they love it.”
And Bloomquist, who wants to create a legacy for his family, says that kind of response means everything.
“Sometimes you do things for profit, sometimes you do things for a legacy, and in my case, this is a legacy for my family,” Bloomquist said. “Daytoon Distributors is going to grow and proliferate over the next 10 years, and then the next generation, and even my grandkids.”
And Daytoon Distributors is growing. Bloomquist’s first spirit, Blue Shark Vodka, came out five years ago. He says that the Reposado will be released soon and that they hope to release a Caribbean rum in the future as well.
There will be launch parties celebrating the new Hacienda Chactun Blanco Tequila on Saturday at the new Tequila Comida and Cantina location in downtown Wilmington near the Port City Marina as well as its sister Los Portales locations throughout the city.
