Signal trace · beverage (RTD mezcal cocktail)

Zacal

Every press hit, ad, BSR data point, Instagram metric, and Claude thesis the pipeline used to score Zacal. Click any signal to inspect the source.

passlast scored 7/20/2026
← Pipeline

At a glance

Founded
2025
HQ
United Kingdom
Total raised
—
Last round
—
Founders
Phil Clayton · Co-Founder & Director,Andrew Maidment · Co-Founder,Ian McCaig · Co-Founder,Cri Osborne · Co-Founder
Retailers
Dram Bar (London, on-trade)selected UK on-tradeDTC online
Instagram
@zacal
TikTok
@zacal

Rhymes with

Onda

Like Onda Tequila Seltzer, Zacal is a bartender-credentialed agave RTD betting on premium craft positioning against mass-market canned cocktails.

Jeff's verdict

Your vote biases future scoring. Hot = +8. Pass = -15.

Composite score
28/100
-3 vs prior run
Score label
Research
55% confidence
Signals captured
13
5 sources live
Scoring runs
2
since 7/13/2026

Rubric breakdown

Traction & velocity
0/25
Team pedigree
10/20
Authenticity / fit
3/20
Capital signal (pre-raise)
8/15
Category timing
4/12
Defensibility
3/8
Scoring rationale
PASS at this stage. Zacal is a UK-based RTD mezcal cocktail brand (Zacalita, 200ml can, 7% ABV, £7) founded in 2025 by Phil Clayton, Andrew Maidment, Ian McCaig, and Cri Osborne, with the RTD extension launched in July per The Spirits Business and Beverage Daily. Signal is extremely thin: Instagram at 31 followers, TikTok at 43 followers with a single video, no live Foreplay ads, and the Amazon 'ZACAL' results are unrelated cat-collar and apparel SKUs (namespace collision, not the beverage brand). SerpAPI news and trends returned 429 errors, so press/search velocity is unverifiable — limited public signal beyond trade-press launch coverage. Category (RTD mezcal, UK-first) is on-trend but Jeff's thesis is US food & bev; revisit once US distribution, velocity, or a priced round appears.
Traction: 0 press · 0 ads · BSR Δ-7% · TikTok 43 → 0/25
Authenticity: IG 31 · TT 43 · -4 Amazon reviews · 0 subreddits → 3/20
Capital: 0 funding press (penalty 0) · TM sweet-spot no · 0 ads → 8/15 (higher = pre-raise)
Category timing: beverage (RTD mezcal cocktail) trend flat · brand trend flat → 4/12

Score history

  • Jul 20, 03:10 AM28
    55% confidence · Research
  • Jul 13, 03:10 AM31
    69% confidence · Research

Signal sources

Press signal

SerpAPI · Google News · 0

No press signal signals captured.

Ad activity

Foreplay · 5
  • Meditation & Mantra: Slowdive
    Imagine waking up feeling refreshed & renewed... In just 5 minutes, every 3 days, you can: • Reduce stress and anxiety • Boost mood and energy Unlock the power of sound healing! Are you ready to transform your life?
    App pageApp/Software
    foreplay.ad · live_ad · 75% conf · 7/13/2026
  • QuizGriz
    👉The Average Person Only Gets 11 Right. How Will You Do?🧠
    Media/news companyMedia/News
    foreplay.ad · live_ad · 75% conf · 7/13/2026
  • Gonggar Hiking
    Gonggar Hiking
    Clothing (Brand)Sporting GoodsFashion
    foreplay.ad · live_ad · 75% conf · 7/13/2026
  • Chico's
    Chico's
    Clothing (Brand)Fashion
    foreplay.ad · live_ad · 75% conf · 7/13/2026
  • Realize For Advertisers
    Realize For Advertisers
    BusinessBusiness/Professional
    foreplay.ad · live_ad · 75% conf · 7/13/2026

Amazon traction

Keepa · Jungle Scout · 2

Instagram

Apify · 2
  • @zacal: 31 followers
    @zacal · 31 followers · 4 posts · avg engagement 3
    apify.instagram · social_followers · 85% conf · 7/20/2026
  • @zacal: 31 followers
    @zacal · 31 followers · 4 posts · avg engagement 3
    apify.instagram · social_followers · 85% conf · 7/13/2026

TikTok

Apify · 2
  • @zacal: 43 followers · 16 hearts · 1 videos
    "live with passion, live musical.ly"
    @zacal · 43 followers · 16 hearts · 1 videos
    apify.tiktok · tiktok_followers · 80% conf · 7/20/2026
  • @zacal: 43 followers · 16 hearts · 1 videos
    "live with passion, live musical.ly"
    @zacal · 43 followers · 16 hearts · 1 videos
    apify.tiktok · tiktok_followers · 80% conf · 7/13/2026

USPTO trademarks

USPTO TSDR · 0

No uspto trademarks signals captured.

Reddit organic

SerpAPI · reddit.com · 0

No reddit organic signals captured.

Google Trends

SerpAPI · google_trends · 0

No google trends signals captured.

AI thesis

Claude Opus 4.7 · 2
  • PASS at this stage. Zacal is a UK-based RTD mezcal cocktail brand (Zacalita, 200ml can, 7% ABV, £7) founded in 2025 by Phil Clayton, Andrew Maidment, Ian McCaig, and Cri Osborne, with the RTD extension launched in July per The Spirits Business and Beverage Daily. Signal is extremely thin: Instagram at 31 followers, TikTok at 43 followers with a single video, no live Foreplay ads, and the Amazon 'ZACAL' results are unrelated cat-collar and apparel SKUs (namespace collision, not the beverage brand
    verdict PASS
    claude.synthesis · thesis · 80% conf · 7/20/2026
  • PASS. While Zacal Mezcal is technically food & beverage (UK-based RTD Margarita 'Zacalita' launched July 2026 per The Spirits Business), the signal set is extremely thin and largely contaminated: the Amazon presence attributed to 'ZACAL' is a US-based pet cat-collar brand (BSR ~330K, declining -7%), the Foreplay 30 live ads map to unrelated niches (media, fashion, kids), and social presence is de minimis (IG 31 followers, TikTok 43 followers, 1 video). The only real F&B signal is a single trade-
    verdict PASS
    claude.synthesis · thesis · 80% conf · 7/13/2026
●Reading live from Supabase deal_flow · brand_id zacal · 13 signals on file.