‘Wow, it’s really smooth': Raynham small-batch tequila distillery aims to convert skeptics

RAYNHAM — Rob Lombardi gets a feeling of joy when he converts someone into a customer for his brand of craft small-batch distilled spirits, Regret.

“Many will say, ‘Oh no, I had a bad experience when I was younger.’ I hear that more than anything,” he said, while he sets up for a tasting event at an Easton liquor store selling his brand of blue agave spirits, better known as tequila.

“Once they try it, they say, ‘Wow, it’s really smooth. I can drink that.’ That’s how I’ve been selling it,” Lombardi said at the tasting at Liquor World on March 8, 2024.

Lombardi takes pride in his Regret brand being “tequila that tequila-haters love,” though, legally, he can’t label it as tequila on the bottle. Unless it is produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco, or a few other cities in Mexico, it can’t be labeled tequila.

Regret is labeled “100% blue agave spirit.”

Lombardi said how Regret differs from official tequila recipes comes down to the simplicity of its ingredients: spring water and blue agave plant nectar. There are no other ingredients, like corn syrup or added sugar, in his recipe.

“We only use 100% agave in our entire process. It’s a lot more money and takes a lot more time and resources, but it gives a better final result and quality product.”

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The beginning

The irony behind Lombardi, from Raynham, making his own version of tequila is he wasn’t someone who drank or even liked the spirit initially, saying he was mostly a beer, wine and vodka person.

Lombardi, who runs his own construction company, was looking for a new and different venture. He explored the idea of making his own alcohol.  A friend suggested trying to make a tequila that Lombardi would like and drink.

“I said ‘challenge accepted.’ The rest is history,” Lombardi said.

He said after trying out numerous recipes, and having enough people tell him they would buy it if he sold it, he started Regret Distillery officially in January 2023.

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Why is the distillery called 'Regret'?

Lombardi said the name of the brand doesn’t come from any tale or alcohol-fueled incident of regret.

It came down to his searching for a catchy name or play on words that would work in a bar or lounge setting.

“I thought it would be kind of cool to say, ‘Give me a bottle of regret,” Lombardi said.

The tagline “Regret … have a little” is featured on the front label of the bottle. On the back of the bottle is a quote from Mark Twain: “Never regret anything that made you smile.”

Regret makes 3 varieties of tequila-style spirit

Currently, Regret carries three varieties of agave spirits: Blanco, Reposado and Anejo:

• Blanco is the basic form, coming fresh out of the distilling process. This reporter recommends Blanco in your next margarita.

• Reposado is Blanco that is aged for 3-6 months in whiskey barrels, which come from Bully Boy Distillery. This gives it a darker hue and whisky aftertaste.

• Anejo is Blanco that is aged in virgin charred oak barrels for one year, giving it an even darker hue and a smoky, almost bourbon aftertaste.

Lombardi does have plans to make flavored varieties down the line, like infusing Regret with fruits or hot peppers.

Is a tasting room on the horizon?

Currently, Regret Distillery, located at 1377 Broadway (Route 138) is undergoing renovations.

An addition is being built which will allow Lombardi to quadruple production of Regret.

With this increasing output, Lombardi intends to hire a sales team soon to expand Regret’s reach and availability.

Renovations also include installing a tasting room. Besides offering tastings of his current and expanding line of distilled agave spirits, Lombardi also wants to offer assorted cocktails to showcase the versatility of Regret.

He hopes to complete renovations by late summer or early fall.

Where can I find Regret?

Regret can currently be found in around 35 different liquor stores and restaurants, with locations ranging from Raynham and Taunton, to Brockton, Easton, Bridgewater, Berkley, Somerset, Lakeville, Plymouth and Middleboro.

The goal for 2024 is to double Regret’s locations in stores and restaurants, including reaching further along the South Coast region, the Cape and even Rhode Island.

A full list of locations selling Regret distilled spirits can be found at https://www.regretdistillery.com/general-6.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Raynham distillery makes tequila for the non-drinker