Del Maguey is a single village mezcal. Each bottle comes from one village in Oaxaca or Puebla, is made by one family, and is sold under the name of that place. The company brought artisanal mezcal to the United States in 1995 and still works village by village.

One village, one family, one batch. Instead of blending agave from different places, Del Maguey bottles each village on its own, so the label names where the mezcal comes from and the palenquero who made it. Chichicapa is made by Faustino Garcia Vasquez. San Luis del Rio is made by Paciano Cruz Nolasco.

Ron Cooper, an American artist who first travelled to Oaxaca in the 1970s. Years later he tasted a mezcal in a small restaurant in Tlacolula, drove out to find the man who had made it, and in 1995 launched Del Maguey with the first two Single Village bottlings.

In remote villages across Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. Each mezcal is produced in its own palenque by the family that has always made it, using methods handed down through generations of Zapotec and Mixtec producers.

Twenty-one, across four collections. Vida Collection holds the three bottles made for mixing. Village Tradiciones holds five classic village expressions. Village Varietales holds eleven wild and semi wild agaves. Village Especiales holds the ceremonial bottlings, made once a year.

It depends on the village, and that is the point. Chichicapa is the classic broad valley profile. Minero, from Santa Catarina Minas, is hand milled and fermented with wild yeast. Wild Tepextate carries passionfruit, marzipan and honeysuckle. The label tells you which village you are drinking.

Most bottles sit between 40% and 49% ABV, and the exact figure is printed on every label. Vida Puebla is 40%, Vida de Muertos is 45%, Chichicapa is 48%. The higher strengths tend to be the wild agave expressions in Village Varietales.

Yes. Mezcal is distilled from agave, and agave contains no gluten. Del Maguey mezcales are made from agave and water, with the exception of Pechuga and Ibérico, which are distilled with seasonal fruits and other ingredients in the still.

Because of how long the agave takes and how little each palenque makes. Espadín needs eight to ten years. Arroqueño matures for eighteen. Barril can take up to thirty in parts of Ejutla de Crespo, and Tobalá needs eight piñas to match the yield of a single Espadín piña. Every bottle is made by hand, in small batches.

Not at the moment. Del Maguey does not run tastings or tours open to the public. The palenques are family homes and working distilleries rather than visitor centres.

Neat and slowly, in a veladora, a copita or a small snifter. Mezcal is built for sipping rather than shooting. Vida Clásico is the exception in the range: it was made in 2010 specifically for cocktails and it is the bottle most bars reach for.

One of the three Vida bottles: Vida Clásico, Vida Puebla or Vida de Muertos. The Vida Collection was made for mixing and holds its own in a drink. The Village bottlings are better neat, because their character is the reason to buy them.

A veladora, the traditional Oaxacan mezcal glass, or a copita. A small snifter also works. A shot glass is the one to avoid, because it hides the aromatics, and the aromatics are most of the mezcal.

Upright, in a cool dark place, away from sunlight and heat. Unopened, a bottle holds its quality for years. Once opened, oxygen slowly flattens the aromatics, so it is best finished within a couple of years.

Open any product page and use BUY NOW to launch the locator, which shows stockists and delivery options near you. Availability varies by state and by country.

We recommend only making purchases at reputable retailers. To verify authenticity, look for clear, high-quality printing on labels. If the label is low-quality, askew, or has errors, it may not be an authentic bottle. Make sure the seal is intact. Del Maguey should not have any debris, give off a strange smell, or be an unusual color – if these signs are present, do not drink it.

 You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter.

Please fill out our contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.