Originally an April’s fool joke, Musk’s US$250 Tesla Tequila sold hour just hours after it was released last November.
Shortly after, an imitator with very similar packaging to Tesla Tequila was released on JD.com, one of the major e-commerce platforms in China.
The bottle label is named Wuma Xiangyin (舞马香印) and the series consists of a brandy (priced RMB1,688), icewine (RMB998) and a rosé. The brandy and wines are produced by Train winery (天润酒庄) d in Jingyang County in Shaanxi province, China.
Established in 2012, Train winery specialises in producing wine and brandy. According to the winery, its brandy is of XO grade with more than 7 years of ageing.
As the winery claims, the brand inspiration of Wuma Xiangyin Lightning Liquor is derived from the Dancing Gilt Horse Cup with Silver Pattern – an antique exhibit from the Shaanxi History Museum collection.
The logo of the brand is taken from the pattern on the cup, which illustrates a steed horse with a streamer tied to its neck.
However, on the winery’s WeChat public account, the brand positions its products as “similar” to what Tesla has to offer.