In 2014, Rio Chenery left New York City for the highlands of Jalisco (Mexico) with the hope of making his family’s favorite drink. The legend goes that in the ‘60s his Mexican grandfather, who worked for the Tecate beer company, came across a rare agave spirit in the small mountain town of Mascota on a business trip and fell in love with it. The locals called it Raicilla, meaning "small root", and over the years it became a family favorite. Fast-forward 50 years and R&J Estancia Distillery is founded with the vision of bringing this rare agave spirit to the world.