Artesanal Mezcal Production Process

All of the mezcaleros we work with are grower-producers. This means they are farmers as well as distillers, working with home grown agave from the fields surrounding their palenques. The resultant mezcals are a true representation
of the hand of the maker, who has guided and developed the flavours at every stage of the process.


Growing agave takes patience and dedication. The fastest growing varietal we use is Espadín (Agave Angustifolia) which take between 8 and 12 years to reach maturity. Some varietals, notably Tepextate, can take as long as 20 years. These agave are grown organically and so must be weeded regularly and nourished with natural fertilizers, while crop rotations of beans, maize and squash ensure excellent soil quality. No corners are cut: our mezcaleros wait for optimum sweetness - when the flowering stem or
Quiote has begun to grow - before harvesting the plant.

All of our mezcals are produced in the artesanal style: hand-made using traditional methods which have remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years. The agave are cooked in a fire-powered pit oven, crushed by a millstone or Tahona, fermented naturally in open air wooden barrels, and distilled in small fire-powered copper alembics. Nothing is added other than locally sourced water, and no electrical equipment is used in the process. It is powered
by fire, by sun, and by hand.


This is not just romance. These traditional methods developed via trial and error in synergy with the local environment have hidden benefits which are missed by the simplifying process of modernisation. To compare the difference you only need taste artesanal mezcal next to its modern counterpart. The results speak for themselves.

 

For batch specific production information see our Tech Sheets.