Marcado 28 Is Inking a Deal With Tequila Fans
The spirit brand founded by chef Michael Voltaggio and master tequilero Bruno Barba celebrates a multigenerational agave legacy and tattoo culture
The best brands don’t just sell a product, they tell a story. In the case of Marcado 28, the newish tequila from Michelin-starred chef Michael Voltaggio and master tequilero Bruno Barba, it’s telling several stories at once. You have a multigenerational family legacy rooted in the agave fields of Jalisco, a celebrity chef’s quest for the perfect spirit and a deeply personal tribute to the stories humans carry on their skin.
The story starts with the brand’s name before even delving into the quality liquid in the bottle. Marcado means “marked” in Spanish, a nod to tattoo culture and a wink at Leviticus 19:28, the Bible verse that warns against it.
The idea behind Marcado 28 came about after third co-founder, Ron Roy, noticed his daughter Kayleigh’s new vibrant tattoo of monarch butterflies. She told him she was inspired by the release of 100 monarchs at her brother Jackson’s memorial service that celebrated the flight of his soul. A lightbulb went off for Roy and it birthed the idea for the brand, building from the idea that tattoos are permanent, personal narratives.
For Voltaggio, who is heavily tattooed himself, the connection was immediate when he was approached to partner on Marcado 28.
“Every tattoo tells a story, often leaving a mark representing a time and place in life,” Voltaggio said. “I’m heavily tattooed so there was a natural visual connection with the idea of Marcado. More than that, it’s about leaving a permanent impression in the industry. We are building a community and much like a tattoo we hope to be a permanent mark.”
Two Expressions of Tequila
Marcado 28 launched in the fall of 2024 with two expressions, a blanco and reposado, both made from 100% blue Weber agave sourced from Barba’s family-owned agave fields in the lowland Tequila Valley of Jalisco. The tequilas are produced with zero additives and have just three ingredients: water from the springs of Volcán de Tequila, agave and yeast.
The blanco is clean and expressive with fresh citrus and grassy notes up front, with cooked agave sweetness and a hint of spice that lingers on the finish. It’s the kind of blanco that’s equally at home in a well-made margarita or sipped neat or on a rock. The reposado, which rested for eight months in American oak barrels, has deeper caramelized agave notes with citrus zest, vanilla and baking spice layered over a smooth, slightly dry finish.
To bridge the connection between the tattoos and the tequila, the team tapped two Austin-based tattoo artists, Billy Baca and El Sando, to bring it to life on the label art. Baca’s blanco label centers on a vibrant Alebrije creature fused with Tex-Mex imagery, while El Sando’s reposado label depicts Mayahuel, the Aztec goddess of agave and fertility, surrounded by butterflies as messengers between the living and the dead. Both artists also tattooed Voltaggio, leaving literal marks from the collaboration on his skin.
Seeing the family’s agave fields in Jalisco, I approached it like a master chef selecting ingredients for the perfect dish.
MIchael Voltaggio
“When choosing an artist to tattoo me, I often look for someone that is heavily tattooed so I’m confident they are passionate about the art and tradition of the craft,” Voltaggio said. ”Although Bruno isn’t tattooed, I can say with confidence that he and his family have been representing the traditions and craft of tequila production for several generations.”
Case in point: Barba’s family has been growing agave and distilling tequila for 10 generations, and his great-grandmother, Doña Gabriela de la Peña, holds a particular place in industry lore. She’s credited with creating the reposado category, aging blanco tequila just long enough to mellow its rough edges without pushing it into añejo territory.
“Her legacy taught us to love the land, respect the people, be patient with the process and understand that great tequila cannot be rushed,” Barba said. “Every field, harvest and batch is different. It is about respecting the agave and trusting the process.”
Tasting 75 Tequilas to Set the Direction
Unlike many celebrity-backed spirits on the market today, Voltaggio didn’t come to Marcado 28 for a vanity project. He wanted to truly get involved in the process and get his hands dirty. He traveled to Guadalajara, spent time with Barba and his mother and tasted more than 75 tequilas before they settled on a direction. Voltaggio then flipped back from tequilero to chef and approached the flavor profile the way he’d design a dish.
“I was especially drawn to the slow-baking process,” he said. “Seeing the family’s agave fields in Jalisco, I approached it like a master chef selecting ingredients for the perfect dish.”
The results match his sensibility. A longtime Islay Scotch drinker, Voltaggio pushed the reposado toward something drier and more savory. That resulted in a tequila with big agave character with barrel influence that supports the overall flavor profile rather than dominates.
“When we got our reposado to where we wanted it, it drank like Scotch, but the agave was the star of the show,” he said. “Now, I regularly use agave-based spirits to make any classic cocktail.”
For Barba, working with a chef brought an unexpected dimension to the development process. “Michael did not describe the tequila only through aromas and flavors,” Barba said. “He described the experience he wanted people to have, almost as if he were designing a dish. Our job was to translate that vision into tequila.”
With blanco and reposado priced at $49.99 and $59.99 respectively, Marcado 28 is positioning itself as premium tequila that’s accessible. It comes backed by the craft and heritage of a 10-generation family operation at a price point that doesn’t require a special occasion. Building off its success, Barba said an añejo is in development and will likely get released later in 2026.
“We want to demystify premium tequila and make it accessible to everyone, not just aficionados,” Voltaggio said. “This is tequila for the people.”
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