Our Story
One man. A dirt road. A village in the mountains of Oaxaca. A mezcal that changed everything. This is the story of how Del Maguey came to exist, and why more than thirty years later, nothing has changed.
You don't find mezcal, mezcal finds you.
Single Village Mezcal
In 1995, Del Maguey introduced something entirely new to the United States: mezcal that named its village of origin on the label. At a time when mezcal was treated as a generic category, Del Maguey chose to anchor each bottle to place, allowing land, people, and tradition to shape its character.
From the start, we chose to present mezcal village by village, valuing difference over uniformity.
The history of Del Maguey
Ron Cooper’s journey into mezcal began with curiosity and a single encounter that would change how the world understands the spirit.
Ron Cooper travels deep into the mountains of Oaxaca and tastes mezcal where it is made, village by village.
The first two mezcals ever to specify a village of origin on the label. This did not exist before.
The single village range grows as more palenqueros join, each bottling the character of their own community.
Del Maguey mezcal reaches bartenders around the world, carrying the names of its villages with it.
Thirty years on, every bottle is still made the same way, in the same villages, by the same families.
Nine Villages. Nine Families.
The story of Del Maguey unfolds across many places, each with its own voice.
Each palenquero is the living link between a centuries-old tradition and the glass in your hand. Their knowledge is oral, embodied, and irreplaceable. We are honoured to carry their names on every label.
Paciano Cruz Nolasco
San Luis Del Rio, Oaxaca
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Faustino García Vázquez and Maximino García Chávez
San Baltazar Chichicapam, Oaxaca
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Luis Carlos Martínez
Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
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Juan Morales Ruiz, Armando Morales Ruiz, Esther Morales Ruiz
Santo Domingo Albarradas, Oaxaca
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Don Rogelio Martínez Cruz
Santa Maria Albarradas, Oaxaca
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Anastasio Cruz Antonio & Sons — Rigoberto, Abel, and Pedro
Las Milpas, Oaxaca
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Fernando Caballero Cruz (“El Bigote”)
San Pedro Teozacoalco, Oaxaca
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Roberto Gutiérrez Ramírez; Alberto Gutiérrez
San Jose Rio Minas, Oaxaca
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Axocopan
Axocopan, Oaxaca
Learn MoreCelebrating Our Achievements
We're proud of every award. Each reflects the effort and people behind our story.
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Tobalá
International Spirits Challenge
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Vida Clásico
International Spirits Challenge
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Chichicapa
San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Quotes on Del Maguey
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By any account the mezcals of Del Maguey offer an opportunity to taste some of the best in the world
The New York Times -
“They have always had such great quality and they've never let that drop. To go from being a very small family-owned business into a bigger corporation like they are now, and still manage to stay true to their fundamentals is very impressive.”
Fair pay. Responsible agave. Living tradition.
By supporting families, protecting agave, and valuing ancestral knowledge, Del Maguey ensures mezcal endures without compromise.
