Tito's Handmade Vodka - Brand Positioning

Named after "Tito" Beveridge, a self-taught vodka distiller with a license dating back to 1995, Tito is an independent vodka that took over Jack Daniels in sales to become America's top revenue franchise.

Since 2018 the brand has been surrounded by controversy because of a lawsuit that alleges that the "handmade" is deceiving:

A US consumer is to settle a lawsuit against Tito’s Handmade Vodka, after arguing that the brand “deceived” drinkers into believing it is handmade [...]

Trevor Singleton first sought to bring a bring a class action against brand owner Fifth Generation in 2015, stating that the Texas vodka’s production process was “highly automated”.

According to Law360, he claimed that the company’s labels and advertisements “deceived consumers into paying premium prices for what they thought was a handmade product”.

Singleton said Tito’s misled consumers by proposing that it is handmade and crafted in an old-fashioned pot still. He added that the company charges a higher price due to “better quality associated with handmade products”.

The vodka is actually made in “massive buildings containing 10 floor-to-ceiling stills and bottling 500 cases an hour” with little to no human involvement, according to Singleton.

The incredible success of the brand is also due to its liquid, which according to Difford's Guide:

Aroma: Clean, white pepper spirity spice with faint but discernible grilled sweet-corn.
Taste: Slightly sweet with creamy mouthfeel and cracked black pepper spice. Clean minerality with grain character evident and a faint hint of tinned sweet corn.
Aftertaste: Slightly hot black pepper finish with faint lingering brazil nuts.

From a marketing point of view, Tito's key communication platform is "canine" here is an explanation of the words Tito's: