{"title":"La Familia: Four Sipping Blancos From Tequila's Founding Familes","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0688\/5251\/4989\/files\/Tequila_Blanco-2.png?v=1778525393\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlanco tequila is the most transparent test of a distiller's skill — no oak to hide behind, no aging to smooth rough edges. What lands in your glass is agave, water, and craft. This week's four blancos come from producers with deep roots in Jalisco's highlands and lowlands, including two brothers from the Camarena dynasty — the family that has shaped modern tequila since 1937. From single-estate terroir experiments at 7,200 feet to a 108-proof still-strength blanco crushed by a junkyard tahona, these bottles reward slow sipping. Pour them neat, add a single rock, and taste what blanco tequila can do when the people making it have generations of skin in the game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sipnyc.com\/products\/tequila-ocho-single-estate-puntas-plata?_pos=2\u0026amp;_psq=ocho\u0026amp;_ss=e\u0026amp;_v=1.0\" title=\"TEQUILA OCHO SINGLE ESTATE PUNTAS PLATA\"\u003eTequila Ocho Single Estate Puntas Plata 2025 Harvest\u003c\/a\u003e is produced by Carlos Camarena at La Alteña distillery in Arandas — the same facility behind Tapatio and El Tesoro — under NOM 1474. Camarena, a fifth-generation agave farmer, partnered with the late Tomas Estes to create tequila's first single-estate, single-field expression. The Los Patos rancho sits on a west-facing hillside above 7,200 feet in Los Altos' red, iron-rich volcanic soil. Agaves matured seven years to 26% sugar content before harvest. Piñas are slow-cooked 48 hours in brick ovens with a 24-hour cool-down, then crushed by roller mill. Fermentation runs 100 hours using natural airborne yeast in open wooden vats — no commercial yeast, no additives. Double distilled in copper pot stills at low temperature. The result is a crystalline spirit with roasted pineapple, honeyed citrus, white pepper, fresh herbs, and a mineral-driven finish that maps directly to the volcanic highland soil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sipnyc.com\/products\/riazul-tequila-plata?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=riazul\u0026amp;_ss=e\u0026amp;_v=1.0\" title=\"RIAZUL TEQUILA PLATA\"\u003eRiazul Tequila Plata\u003c\/a\u003e comes from estate-grown agave on land with a remarkable origin story. During the Mexican War of Independence, María Higinia Gómez served as counselor to rebel leaders and received 10,000 acres in the Jalisco Highlands. She distributed most to fellow revolutionaries but kept 250 acres — land passed down for over 200 years until descendant Iñaki Orozco inherited it in the 1990s and founded Riazul in 2009. Produced at Compañía Tequilera de Arandas (NOM 1460), the Plata showcases highland agave character from mineral-rich volcanic soil at elevation. [Production uses autoclave cooking, roller mill extraction, and a combination of column-still and copper-pot distillation.] The nose opens with dried pineapple and powdered sugar, followed by pickling herbs and spices. The palate delivers a silky entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with smooth balance. It finishes with light roasted pepper and white pepper that fades cleanly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sipnyc.com\/products\/casa-dragones-blanco-750ml?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=dragones\u0026amp;_ss=e\u0026amp;_v=1.0\" title=\"CASA DRAGONES BLANCO\"\u003eCasa Dragones Blanco\u003c\/a\u003e was founded in 2009 by Bertha González Nieves and Robert Pittman, co-founder of MTV, after a chance meeting at a party in Brooklyn. González Nieves is the first woman certified as Maestra Tequilera by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila — a distinction earned after 12 years of study. [Produced at Destilería Leyros (NOM 1489) in the Valley of Tequila, the Blanco uses hand-selected Blue Weber agave grown at approximately 1,200 meters elevation in soil rich in potassium and silica.] Named \"Best Blanco Tequila\" by Epicurious, this small-batch, 100% Blue Agave silver tequila is multiple-distilled [using an advanced column process with spring water drawn from volcanic aquifers 70 meters deep]. The profile is crisp and smooth with semi-sweet agave, pepper, clove, and a clean, soft finish — designed as a sipping blanco or cocktail foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sipnyc.com\/products\/don-vicente-premium-fuerte-blanco-tequila-750ml?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=vicente\u0026amp;_ss=e\u0026amp;_v=1.0\" title=\"DON VICENTE PREMIUM FUERTE BLANCO TEQUILA\"\u003eDon Vicente Premium Fuerte Blanco (108 Proof)\u003c\/a\u003e is produced by Felipe Camarena — Carlos Camarena's brother — at Destilería El Pandillo (NOM 1579) in Jesús María, Jalisco. Felipe is a third-generation distiller, sixth-generation agave farmer, and trained engineer who built El Pandillo in 2011 on 260 acres of family land. His custom stone ovens feature steam jets top and bottom for even roasting. The cooked piñas undergo a double-milling process through two machines Felipe built himself. \"Igor,\" a compact shredder constructed from semi-trailer and railroad car parts, feeds into \"Frankenstein\" — a 19,000-pound mechanized tahona assembled from junkyard steamroller parts running on a single horsepower motor. Fermentation uses a three-part process with proprietary yeast and deep well water. Double distilled in copper pot stills and bottled at still strength (54% ABV) without oxygenation. The Fuerte delivers crisp minerality, citrus, earthy clay, sweet vegetal notes, and exotic fruit — a consistent winner in blind tastings.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"casa-dragones-blanco-750ml","title":"CASA DRAGONES BLANCO","description":"A small-batch blanco from Casa Dragones, a Jaliscan producer founded in partnership with spirits industry veteran Bob Pittman, the Blanco is made from 100% Blue Weber agave grown in the Los Altos highlands of Jalisco, where red clay soils and high elevation concentrate sugar in the piña. Distilled in column and pot stills in combination, then bottled unaged to preserve fresh agave character, it delivers notes of green apple, white pepper, and fresh-cut grass, with a clean, lightly sweet finish.","brand":"Casa Dragones","offers":[{"title":"750ML \/ Tequila \/ Mexico","offer_id":44136357527725,"sku":"37605","price":74.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0688\/5251\/4989\/files\/casa-dragones-tequila-blanco-casa-dragones-tequila-blanco_064afb9f-ec4e-4c03-9cf4-d561fd473f96.jpg?v=1763418551"},{"product_id":"don-vicente-premium-fuerte-blanco-tequila-750ml","title":"DON VICENTE PREMIUM FUERTE BLANCO TEQUILA","description":"The Los Altos highlands of Jalisco sit above 2,000 meters, where red clay soils and cooler temperatures push Blue Weber agave to develop concentrated sugars and firm vegetal character — and it's here that Maestro Felipe Camarena farms estate agave for Don Vicente Fuerte at his El Pandillo distillery. Cooked in a custom stone oven with steam-jet temperature control, the piñas are shredded mechanically then crushed by a tahona built from repurposed parts, before triple-stage fermentation with proprietary yeast. Double distillation in copper pot stills yields a 54% ABV blanco bottled without oxygenation, delivering citrus, clay, potting soil, and sweet vegetal notes with lasting minerality.","brand":"Don Vicente Fuerte","offers":[{"title":"750ML \/ Tequila \/ Mexico, Jalisco","offer_id":44181438202029,"sku":"39358","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0688\/5251\/4989\/files\/tequilafuertedonvicente2.png?v=1763416871"},{"product_id":"tequila-ocho-single-estate-puntas-plata","title":"TEQUILA OCHO SINGLE ESTATE PUNTAS PLATA","description":"Single-estate plata tequila built on a concept most producers still ignore: that the specific rancho where agave grows shapes the final spirit. Tequila Ocho sources from one named field in Jalisco's highlands, where sustainably farmed Blue Weber agave matures at high elevation in volcanic, mineral-rich soil — a combination that has a measurable effect on flavor. Distilled additive-free using traditional methods by fifth-generation agave farmer Carlos Camarena, it delivers roasted pineapple, honeyed citrus, fresh herbs, and white pepper, with an earthy, volcanic finish.","brand":"SipNYC","offers":[{"title":"750ML \/ Tequila \/ Mexico - Jalisco","offer_id":45128713076909,"sku":"35580","price":48.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0688\/5251\/4989\/files\/Ocho_Blanco_1080x1080_6f2be333-0794-4540-bdcd-597cfb1eadeb.png?v=1763416020"},{"product_id":"riazul-tequila-plata","title":"RIAZUL TEQUILA PLATA","description":"Riazul Plata is produced from highland Jalisco agave, grown at elevation in the Los Altos region where cooler temperatures and red clay soils push longer maturation and higher sugar concentration in the piña. This is an unaged blanco, so nothing intervenes between distillation and bottle — what you get is straight agave character. It opens with dried pineapple and powdered sugar, moves into pickling herbs and gentle spice on the mid-palate, and finishes with roasted pepper and white pepper that fade cleanly.","brand":"Riazul","offers":[{"title":"750ML \/ Tequila \/ Mexico","offer_id":45179630059693,"sku":"36970","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0688\/5251\/4989\/files\/Riazul_Plata_Bottle_Image_3000X3000_9ca830ad-06ad-4125-b6ec-6abc72a51e6a.png?v=1763416011"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0688\/5251\/4989\/collections\/Tequila_Blanco-1-2431538.png?v=1778566995","url":"https:\/\/sipnyc.com\/collections\/la-familia-four-sipping-blancos-from-tequilas-founding-familes.oembed","provider":"SipNYC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}