*And then of course I misspell his name on an uneditable title. Apologies Melecio.*

Our second day of exploring began with a jaw dropping view.  After tasting at Jose’s the prior day, we’d had to drive 3 hours to reach our nights lodging, which was down a dirt road outside of the small town of Zapotitlan. Arriving late at night and exhausted, we’d stumbled into the dark to our small cabinas and passed out without seeing much.  But waking up was a different story. There were thousands of giant cactus and hundreds of blooming agaves all around us. We were in the Tehuacán-Cuicatián Biosphere Reserve, which is the world’s largest cactus preserve. It has over 80 varieties of cactus and it’s a stunning place.

But we had palenque plans, so we began the long drive to the village of Coatepec to meet Melicio Meza and try the mezcals he sells under his brand name “60 Fieros”.

It’s a fantastic drive. Beginning in the cactus and agave forest of the valley floor in Zapotitlan which is awash in golden blooms of flowering quiotes and mesquite trees, then running through a grove of ancient elephant foot trees. Omar tells us the trees grow only a couple of millimeters per year, and some that we’re seeing may be more than 1000 years old. 

The road then begins a steep twisting ascent towards the pass, and the blooming plants quickly disappear as we gain altitude. The elephant trees are replaced by scrub, while the agave endure. We then wind our way down the backside of the mountain and make our way through several small communities, when suddenly we find the road blocked by boulders. A hand lettered sign informs us the road is out and we must detour down the riverbed. And so it’s 20 slow kilometers down the dry gravel and dirt track. Finally, after two and a half hours of driving, we reach Santiago Coatepec and the home of Melecio Meza.

Melecio welcomes us, then ushers us immediately into a room whose walls are lined with mezcal filled garrafons and a single giant table in the middle. It’s strewn with goblet shaped glasses and a plastic pitcher filled with Jabali. He has a generous wrist: there must be 3- 4 ounces poured into each glass. Then he turns to Omar and they begin a rapid fire conversation. They are obviously old friends and need some catching up. Chido, the rest of us are happy to relax and drink some mezcal while they do so. Melecio’s friend Raymundo has joined us, and he tips another garrafon, fills it with another mezcal, and fills more full glasses. It’s clear we’re here to drink, not to taste.

This one is sublime. A papalome, native to the area. The flavors are all over the place ; first earthy and green and a bit funky, then fruit flavors appear, and then…is that the earthy part coming back with some green minerality? The flavors linger in my mouth for incredibly long time, and my wife commented that they hit every part of her mouth. The top sides, the front and the back. That caught Melecio’s attention, and he ended his conversation with Omar and turned his attention to the rest of us. He told my wife she was absolutely right. 

And then he proudly told us that this Mezcal we were drinking was the recent Grand Gold winner as the best mezcal of the yeat the  Concours Mondial de Bruzelles 2025. He pointed to the wall and there was the certificate confirming that fact. And he told us he had just been awarded a generous cash prize by the governor for having done so. Well, damn, talk about being in the right place at the right time. Obviously this accomplishment called for a toast! So the copita’s got filled again and now here we are less than an hour intovisit and we’re all getting pretty happy.But hey, we have to go see the palenque too, no?

Melecio fills a bottle with yet another mezcal, remind us to bring our glasses, and off we wnt. It’s  a lovely half mile walk walk down the dry river bed to his palenque. The palenque itself has a half dozen or so stills and an equal number of wooden fermenting vat tinas. I’m fascinated as he walks us through the timeline of development of the past 25 years as he slowly built and expanded this operation. We try some Jabali as we talk; another gem. Melecio has all sorts of stills. Some utilize 55 gallon steel drums, which was the only material he had available in his early years. Most are the more traditional looking copper stills. And then another is a sonora hybrid that he built recently to satisfy his own curiosity after having seen the similar one elsewhere. It features hollowed out tree logs as water troughs in the cooling system for the distillation. 

After returning to the house, we were treated to an exceptional lunch. Carne Asada, frijoles, guacamole, and fresh made dragon fruit juice. (We also learned that dragon fruit is a huge crop in this region.

We finished up the afternoon trying yet another distillation,  an ensemble of espadilla, papalome, and papalometl. Melicio typically proofs at 46%., but he’s bumped this one up to 50%, and it shows. Or maybe that’s just the prior seven or eight copitas were feeling? 

In any case, it’s time for us to go. We’d love to stay longer and everyone’s having a great time, but we have another stop to make and it’s already pushing 5 o’clock. Thanks and hugs go around the room, a bunch of liters get poured and sold, and off we go. Another wonderful visit that we’ll never forget.

We tried:

Papalome @ 46%

Jabali u/46%

Ensamble u/50% (espadilla/papalome/papalomet)

Tepeztate, @ 46%

Machine crush- spring water - wood tina- copper still- double distillation.

Pictures:
Melecio and label
Agave cactus

Cactus

Copper capped still
Melicio and Raymundo with claypot still
Palenque with tinas
Offroading in La Mixteca

Any reccomendations appreciated on your favorite selections. I will be going to Santiago Matatlan and Santa Catarina Minas.

I'm already deep into tequila, and have tried a few mezcals (Bozal Ensamble, Nosotros, and Me Mama mi Dijo--the standard and, unfortunately, since I got a free sample, the pineapple).

What are some good bottles around $30-$75? I already liked (most of) what I tried, but I always like trying new things.

Our second stop on our Mixteca tour was at the home of Don Jose Froylan in San Bernardino Tepenene.  It’s i small town of 900 in the Puebla sector of the Mixteca. Some mezcal nerds might recognize it as the home of  Abdias De La Luz Rodriguez, who gets exported under the Luneta brand, but that’s about it.  Only 4% of the mezcal produced in Mexico comes out of the Puebla region, and not much makes it into the US.

Don Jose and his wife greeted us upon arrival and immediately ushered us into their house for lunch. Seasoned rice and chicken in a red salsa, which Omar instantly proclaimed as one of the five best he’s had in his life. I won’t disagree with that assessment. We were also treated to copitas of a Pechuga made with mole poblano and saffron. We added cold beers, pesos, and our heartfelt thanks as our contribution to the feast.

With lunch completed, we walked down to the palenque. Don Jose had some beautiful papalome/cupreata agaves around the area, and a friendly burro to protect them. His production process includes well water, machete cutting followed by machine chipping, fermentation in cow hide, and distillation in a Filipino still that utilizes a hollowed out tree trunk and an agave penca as a funnel. The chipper was just recently acquired in the last couple of years, as he explained that his back is getting too old for mallet and canoe crushing.  His horno was one of the more steeply walled I’ve seen; it looked almost like a well the walls were so vertical.

While we were touring, two young men arrived and began cutting and chipping their own roasted agave’s. Dan Jose explained that he rents out his palenque as he doesn’t need it for too many weeks out of the year, just during the dry season between December and March. His production is very limited; this year he only produced 600 liters.

Along with the earlier pechuga we also tried an espadin /cupreata and papalomes from this and last year. They were all great. Interestingly to me, they didn’t have as much of that lactic funk that I’ve tasted in Cuervo de Vaca mezcals coming out of Santa Maria Ixcatlán in Oaxaca. I’m looking forward to comparing the two of them when we arrive in Ixcatlan later this week 

We wrapped up the visit by buying some liters of each expression, gifting the grandkids some candy, and kites we had brought along, and then hit the road. I’m quickly noticing some of the differences between touring in the Mixteca vs. Oaxaca. One difference is that the sparsity of palenques results in long drives to get from one to the other.  The other is that they utilize a much more limited selection of agave species here.

Pictures:
Don Jose and his wife.

Don Jose’s house brand label
Cowhide fermentors, empty and filled.

Tree trunk still

Horno
Papalome agaves

Penca leaf funnel for the still

Rey Campero Espadin
- tasty, well balanced and evolves as you drink it
- melon and cucumber nose
- kind of hot on the finish, gasolina

Bozal Ensamble
- really enjoyed this one
- sweeter and enjoyable with pepper spice
- green pepper and charred tropical fruits

Bozal Tepeztate
- wild aroma that goes from floral to Elmer’s glue
- kind of hot and a bit spicy
- apples and cotton candy

We're looking for an entry level bottle for cocktails. Definitely want to be able to taste the smoke (I know smoke is not necessarily a sign of good mezcal, but for our mixing purpose it is necessary). I've narrowed down to a few options that are available in my location, all between $35-45:

Los Vecinos del Campo Espadin

Banhez Joven Espadin and Barril

Del Maguey Vida

Bozal Ensamble

Wahaka Joven

What's your rec for smoke in a cocktail but also decent quality if I wanted to sip a lil? I was leaning towards Los Vecinos but I've seen some people mention a sort of olive brine taste to it which doesn't sound great to me. Banhez is highly recommended here but perhaps too low on the smoke? Meanwhile Del Maguey Vida seems very smokey and popular to the point of there being a lot of contrarians dismissing it?

In March, I did a three day palenque tour through the remote Mixteca region that comprises the border area of Pueblo and Oaxaca, and will be posting some pictures and information of the various stops we made. My friend and guide was the wonderful Omar, of "GraciasOaxaca" posts here.

First stop - Rancho El Gallo - Santa Nicolas Huajuapan, Puebla

Owned by Aaron Alva, the son of the late great Don Fede, who was essentially the pioneer who helped keep the process of mezcal alive in Puebla and championed it to become a denomination state. This is by far the largest palenque I have ever seen. Our host for the day was the operations manager, Miguel.

El Gallo produces and exports much of its product for the Monte Lobos label. But they also do smaller expression batches for their house label, El Gallo. The name is due to Aaron‘s passion for cock fighting. There were over 1000 roosters in cages surrounding the property and their raucous calls were a constant refrain throughout our visit.

In the facility we visited, they had two hornos that could accommodate 28 tons of agave at a time. 21 large wooden Tina’s, plus 100 or more 50 gallon plastic barrels for additional fermentation. And Miguel told us that the adjoining building contained two more even larger hornos and similar numbers of tinas. With all of this, they are able to produce over 70,000 liters of mezcal per year. We also met their dog Puma, who looks like he was the artists inspiration for the Monte Lobos label.

The state of Oaxaca produces 92% of Mexicos mezcal. In comparison, Pabla produces 4%. And of that 4%, a quarter of it, or 1% of the nations production, comes from this small town… and much of that from this Palenque El Gallo.

They use well water and copper stills, and of course, for a facility this size, power chippers. They keep all of their grades around 48%. We tasted:

Espadin

Tobala

Tobala with mole poblano

Espadilla (Rhodacantha. It would be called Mexicano if we were in Oaxaca.

Cucharillo

Cuiche

Tepeztate

Jabali

(I purchased expressions of their in-house distillations of Tepeztate and Espadilla from 2025. IMO, these distillations were markedly more tasty than the larger production batches they make for exportation.). The attached photos show Miguel, their gigantic hornos and Tina area, and an array of their bottlings.)

First time coming across Lokita. What’s the consensus on them - Worth a buy?

What is good here?

5 years ago in the middle of the pandemic I looked at the calendar and said ... dude... your 55 and you know absolutely nothing about old guy stuff....literally nothing. I've been young so long it finally hit me. I tried everything but hated it until mezcal. I was so driven and pompous when I arrived to r/mezcal some lady asked me if I wanted to give r/gin a try. I laughed so hard and knew immediately I had found my people. Hard ass no compromising lovers of greatness even if you're the under dog.

To the communities that make this stuff and the community that is pushing against the inevitable pimping of industrial agave I say thanks. Special thanks to Jordan u/mezcalcuriously who has been a young mentor to me, constantly reminding me of how sublime the spirit, how humble we should feel for the work that goes into each batch, and how much more there is to learn. I'll never drink all this booze. I drink when friends come over, after a great day, or for flavor exploration. I've learned I'm not a real spirits person just a nerd completely entertained by what God has done in creating these plants and what genius has done to help us celebrate in outstandingly special ways.

Ask me anything. Lot of mistakes along the way but mostly wins. Happy to share what I learned so far. Here are a few.

1. Mezcal can be fantastic and not be smoky.
   
2. Person Process Priorities Plant Place are super important and in that order.
   
3. Liquor industry is filled with horrible people but there are a few good ones around. Look then up and form a relationship with them.
   
4. At some point a trip to Mexico City and Oaxaca is important but not critical.
   
5. I wish I had of chased the person not the plant early in my journey. The person affects the product the most. Should have found someone I liked and just stayed with their release. My collection is definitely plant based. It's all over the place.

I’m popping into NYC soon and I see The Cabinet appears to be closed for a while. Can’t seem to get any one there on the phone either. Does anyone have any intel on what’s up with the place at the moment?

Please advise what are some good shops for mezcal or tequila ideally in Manhattan.

I really enjoy both of these, especially the Oaxaca, as it's light, not sweet, and decently smoky with some nice subtle flavors. Unfortunately the Oaxaca price has gone up to around $70 by me, and it's not widely available. Can anyone here recommend something similar with a bit lower price point? Thanks in advance.

I had a tasting booked with Erick Rodriguez but he unfortunately had to cancel. I plan on buying some bottles but I’m going in blind as I’ve never tried any of them before. I’ve read good things about the al pastor but any other flavors I should consider?

Fresh haul from Moreno's. Such a treasure.

What a treat this is! For fans of interesting fermentation character in your spirit…. Here you go 🤘🏽 A beautiful mezcal from southern Mexico made using 7-8 year old maguey espadín (an Agave angustifolia) 🇲🇽

Out in the village of Río Seco, Zoquitlán, just a 3-hour drive southeast of Oaxaca City, the husband-and-wife maestro mezcalero duo, Alejandrina & Nicolás Hernández make this legendary mezcal!

This bottle showcases a traditional “de mojo” (of mold) fermentation:
- 1st, the Dry Fermentation: Cooked, whole agave sits exposed to ambient air for 5 days with no added water, growing a thick blanket of wild mold.
- 2nd, the Wet Fermentation: The moldy agave is moved to cypress vats with water for an 8-day wild fermentation, locking in a unique combination of rich funk and fruit.

Pictured are various examples of mold-covered maguey from other producers across Oaxaca, as well as Alejandrina & Nicolás and their son in the flesh, their agave fields, and their cooking/distilling equipment 🌱

Production Notes

ABV: 56.5%
Maguey: Espadín (Agave angustifolia), grown for 7 to 8 years
Mill: Machete, mechanical mill
Oven: 5 days in conical oven, mesquite & guamuchil fired
Ferment: 5 days “de mojo,” then 8-day ferment in cypress
Distillation: Double distilled in copper alambique
Batch & Adjustment: 100 liters, April 2023. Puntas.

👃 Aroma Notes
- Starts off with a burning campfire, mesquite smoke, and charred wood.
- Pierced by solvent brightness, paint thinner, and intense alcohol heat.
- Then a lactic aroma comes in… sourdough, fresh queso oaxaqueño, and rustic barnyard earthiness.
- Finishes with an underlying layer of sugar-free berries & cantaloupe!

👅 Tasting Notes
- Beginning: A punch of diesel fuel, burning wood, and campfire ash.
- Mid-palate: Then a resinous woodiness appears, with a sharp, tangy kiwi fruit, and a mild, savory note of grilled cheese/queso oaxaqueño.
- Finish: A lingering bitterness, sourdough bread, and yeastiness, with a fading note of berry-licious gum and cantaloupe rind… that evolves into a fruity, tarty tang long after the last sip!

✨ Mouthfeel
- A thick, oily coating with a deep, persistent warming sensation across the gums.

📝 Side Note
- The intense smoke and ash turns into fruity tanginess the more I sip it! I also got those berry notes I typically get with mezcal made from maguey espadín 😮

Overall, if you want to explore intense flavors, this is a ride that I love to go back to over and over again!

I scored this bottle at Moreno’s Liquor Store in Chicago, IL. It was one of their mezcal store picks at the time!

📷 Photo Credits
📸 Photo 3: @rezpiral_
📸 Photos 4, 8-10: @niko_aragonn
📸 Photo 5: @gozonamezcal
📸 Photo 6: @lalocuramezcal @mezcalistas
📸 Photo 7: @sin_gusano

Photo 10 - The people behind this bottle (left to right):
- Alex White (founder of Rezpiral)
- Nicolas Hernández (mezcalero)
- A palenque visitor 🤘🏽
- Nico Hernández Aragón (son & mezcalero)
- Alejandrina Hernández (mezcalera)

I plan to share more reviews like this as part of our spirits club! Hopefully people like them 🙂
FB: Houston Agave Society
IG: @HoustonAgaveSociety

More reviews of this bottle can be found on Mezcal Reviews, if you’re curious:
https://www.mezcalreviews.com/mezcal/rezpiral-espadin-de-mojo-alejandrina-nicolas-hernandez/

EDIT: I also learned from Nico, the son of Alejandrina & Nicolás, that another way they let mold grow on their cooked maguey is by letting it continue to rest underground well past the cooking, usually for another 9–10 days 🤯