Ancestral Craft Spirits — Local services in Roma

Today, by a series of happy accidents, we met Leonardo of Ancestral Craft Spirits Distillery in Roma, Tx, a stone's throw from the Rio Grande River. What a wonderful find! Leonardo told us about tracing his family history to the community and with lots of work, he and others teamed up with Roma city government to preserve a fabulous old building and to build a distillery and tasting room for a unique Agave based spirit. The building is beautiful. Old brick and beams. There's a lovely courtyard with agave plants and tables. There are fermentation tanks, a smoker and more. Leonardo explained the origins of his project, their mission to create a new and "Blashemous" spirit and plans for small batch bottling.

We tasted their three bottled spirits and oh my, I have found a new treat. We plan to return tomorrow to try an Old Fashioned with their agave spirits.

I have such respect for folks who have a dream like this and are willing to pursue it through (I am sure!) plenty of red tape, international challenges and to preserve their and the communitiy's heritage. What was old is new again. Thank you Leonardo for your time and sharing...

Happened upon the distillery and met Co-Owner Leo while checking out the bluffs and Roma's Historic District on Saturday. Leo stopped his work and welcomed us to the distillery, providing us with an in-depth overview of Blasfemus' origins, the local agave plantation establishment, and the growing process, then showed us around the old general store that they are renovating to serve as a bar and eventually maybe to include a restaurant and accommodations. Not only are Leo and his team superbly implementing their vision with the distillery, but the Texas "agave spirits" are unique and a must-try (and buy) for high-end Tequila and Mescal connoisseurs. We bought a couple of bottles because we love what Blasfemus and Ancestral Spirits are doing in Roma, but I'll buy and gift many more because they are producing some damn fine Texas...

We had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Ancestral Distillery and taking a tour with Leonardo. Not only is the distillery stunning but it’s steeped in history both in Roma and in its founders’ family histories. Leonardo’s knowledge of the production and history of both Agave and Mescal is incredible and his passion for the agave spirit that they have created out of these rich traditions is so evident. We tried all three expressions of Blasfemus, the 7, 11 and 17 and each are beautiful and highlight the different agave varieties and they shine in each expression. If you have the opportunity to go, do! And bring plenty of...