
Our story
Hermanos en Espiritus
Like the history of Tequila, the story of Desdeya starts with Mezcal.
The mezcal in question was in a back-alley cantina in Mexico City in the summer of 2015. Ben’s first taste of quality agave spirits. The attraction was instant and overwhelming.
3 years later he launched Pensador in the UK – a partnership between Ben and a collective of mezcaleros in the Miahuatlán region of Southern Oaxaca. At the heart of the brand is a commitment to traditional mezcalero culture. Pensador presents Real Artisanal Mezcals made to Rural Mexican Standards. A character which defines the category, but which is sadly absent in the industry.
In 2023 Pensador became the World’s First B Corp Mezcal. And in 2024 it was awarded the Mezcal Trophy as best in class at the IWSC awards.
But the world of agave is wide and alluring, and Mexico is full of distinctive local spirits. A breadcrumb trail of delicious sips led Ben north to Jalisco; the heartlands of Tequila.
Finding Desdeya
Tequila presented a very different set of challenges.
Modern Tequila is the result of progress and commercialisation of the traditional mezcal process - see Tequila History. And the last 50 years has seen huge growth in the category, with distilleries scaling up production and introducing new techniques to improve efficiency. This has been great for reducing costs, but has also reduced flavour. Jalisco is awash with thin tasting Tequilas with a distinct bitter note. Many of these distilleries have resorted to artificial additives to replace the natural depth and character which have been stripped out. This tastes alright initially, but the unnatural flavours build as you sip. And you’ll certainly feel it the next day.
So, the task was to find a distillery which was prioritising flavour over efficiency, and creating rich and complex tequilas, without resorting to additives. After 3 years of searching, Ben found his dream partner in Grupo Tequilero Mexico – NOM 1468.
Another year was spent creating his bespoke profile. Working closely with GTM Ben customised each step of the process: a slow brick oven roast, long fermentation with a yeast strain more commonly associated with full-bodied Bordeaux reds, and a boosted ABV of 42% ABV.
He called it Desdeya – a compound of “desde” and “ya”, meaning “right now” – because it invites a sense of spontaneity, of prioritising today. It’s bold and sunny and joyful; the essence of Tequila.


