Arriesgado Blanco

Creating something genuinely new in tequila is difficult. Roberto Real Reynoso found his answer by looking backward.

A third-generation tequilero, Roberto spent nearly 25 years learning every aspect of his family’s business, from cultivating agave to distillation. After the death of his father, he and his family assumed greater responsibility for Tequila Selecto de Amatitán (NOM 1459) and faced a question confronting many producers: how do you stand apart in an increasingly crowded market?

Rather than pursuing a new marketing angle or elaborate packaging, Roberto established a small production area dedicated to utilizing traditional methods that had largely disappeared from modern tequila making, like using ancestral crushing techniques performed by hand with a wooden mallet and “canoa” wood troughs.

The name Arriesgado—”daring” or “willing to take risks”—honors the man who inspired it, Roberto’s father. He remembers his father as someone who never feared taking chances, and his silhouette appears on bottles as a reminder that innovation often begins with courage.

Produced in the Valles region of Jalisco, Arriesgado is what Roberto calls an “assembly of cultures.” Drawing inspiration from tequila, mezcal, and raicilla traditions, mature Blue Weber agave are slowly cooked in stone and clay ovens and distilled in small copper stills. Each of Roberto’s decisions favors craftsmanship over efficiency.

Bottled at 48% ABV, Arriesgado Blanco allows for a bolder taste of agave, earth, herbs, minerals, and the fermentation that defines its personality. The old-school processes add up to big flavor and complexity. It is a tequila that reveals its process rather than concealing it.

Nose: sweet smokiness / cooked agave / herbs / green apple / pear / lime / lavender / minerals

Taste: sweet cooked agave / sweet smokiness / cinnamon / hint of vanilla / black pepper / pineapple / green apple / lime / bell pepper / lemongrass / mild peppermint / anise / baking spices / cream soda

Finish: a nice oily, medium viscosity covers the palate well / the cooked agave, smoke, and mild cinnamon notes glide over the first part of the sip, revealing black pepper and baking spices through the middle / light anise and peppermint round out the sip on the final swallow

There is an irony at the heart of Arriesgado. Roberto created something innovative not by abandoning tradition, but by embracing it even more completely. In an industry often driven by efficiency, his willingness to slow down and use ancestral methods reminds us that progress sometimes comes from understanding where we've been before deciding where to go next.