San Luis Del Rio
Paciano Cruz Nolasco is a legend and one of the greatest mezcal producers the world will ever know. He makes Vida and was one of the first to produce for Del Maguey. Today, his son Marcos is a vital part of the family tradition. Their mezcals are a reflection of their character as well as the village of San Luis Del Rio that is deeply tied to the land where the Red Ant River flows; both dry and smooth, strong and resilient. A vibrant Zapotec elixir.
Paciano Cruz Nolasco
San Baltazar Chichicapam
With a steadfast dedication to the artisanal process, the villagers of San Baltazar Chichicapam clearly identify themselves as a mezcal producing community. No one exemplifies the essence of this mezcal culture more than humble and stoic Zapotec Palenquero Faustino Garcia Vasquez. Working alongside him is his son, Maximino. Faustino’s countenance, underneath his famous and handsome mustache, never changes; always happy to receive visitors and offer them “calientitos,” hot mezcal fresh off the still.
Faustino Garcia Vasquez
Maker of:
Chichicapa >
Santa Catarina Minas
Santa Catarina Minas identifies as the Cradle of Mezcal. It is a lofty title, but one fairly earned due to the extensive mezcal and maguey culture that can be traced back as far as the early Spanish occupation. Village maestro Luis Carlos Vasquez is truly a master of his craft, someone who has toiled through the backbreaking work of cultivating and harvesting maguey, and then producing it through the rigorous ancestral production method, without ever losing his sense of humor.
Luis Carlos Vasquez
Santo Domingo Albarradas
Nestled on the mountainside, often enveloped in clouds, Santo Domingo Albarradas sits above the Tesecoacan River. Here wild agaves, plants and flowers grow in plenty and a small number of families produce mezcal. One of those families continues the legacy left by Espiridion Morales Luis, whose radiant smile and constant optimism was always reflected in his mezcal. These days, his two sons Juan and Armando, and his daughter Esther, run most of the production. But it is definitely a family affair. Their mezcal is a bright, uplifting spirit. To share a copita with the family is a joy. The warmth of their hospitality towards visitors is unforgettable.
Espiridion Morales Luis
Maker of:
Santo Domingo Albarradas >
Santa Maria Albarradas
Santa Maria Albarradas is one of the most magical places to drink mezcal in the world. Surrounded by fruit trees and rose bushes, the manantial spring water imparts distinctive flavors in the fermentation. Rogelio Martinez Cruz is the master distiller from Santa Maria who first sold Tobalá to Del Maguey in 1996. Rogelio and his family love to host groups, and if there is dancing music playing in the palenque or in a social setting, Rogelio is the first person to take a partner for a spin.
Rogelio Martinez Cruz
Maker of:
Tobala >
Tepextate >
Jabali >
Las Milpas
A narrow dirt road rides over sheer mountainous rockface connecting the village of Las Milpas to the outside world. Anastasio Luis went from a life led in the fields planting corn, beans, squash, and making mezcal at a neighbors still, to becoming a master distiller for the Del Maguey family. Anastasio is always ready to smile and laugh because he learned long ago to always look for silver linings. Ron Cooper likes to say that he did not even have to try the mezcal to know it would be special, because Anastasio’s persona exudes quality.
Anastasio Luis
Maker of:
Las Milpas >
San Pedro Teozacoalco
Perhaps the remoteness adds to the sense of calm in San Pedro Teozacoalco. When sipping on mezcal in a palenque with a small library, surrounded by birdsong and majestic maguey, it’s certainly hard to imagine that Fernando Caballero Cruz has not found peace. Del Maguey has the honor to curate a papalome expression from Teozacoalco through our relationship with Fernando, a.k.a. El Bigote (The Moustache). Beneath his black cowboy hat and sharp, darting eyes, he wears his moniker well.
Fernando Caballero Cruz
Maker of:
Papalome >
San Jose Rio Minas
Reaching the village of San Jose Rio Minas requires traversing high mountains on narrow and jagged dirt roads. Simply arriving at the palenque of master distiller Roberto Guiterrez is something out of a mezcal fairy tale. On the outskirts of the village, where the pavement stops, the only access to Roberto’s home is via a foot bridge over the raging river below. Here, Roberto and sons hand mash agave in hollowed out tree trunks and transform their agave into a delicious spirit, indicative of the region and his exuberant personality.
Roberto Guiterrez
Maker of:
Espadín, Arroqueño & Mexicano >
San Pablo Ameyaltepec
Dry brush, izote palms, and maguey papalote line the dusty, dry, dead-end road that leads to San Pablo Ameyaltepec. Sometime after the French occupation of Mexico, a rustic version of French continuous distillation methods that requires great patience caught hold in San Pablo; a single batch could take up to twenty hours. During this lengthy process the Tobon family members, who collectively produce for Del Maguey, discuss the wild history of the region, including how hard prohibition was for the elder generation, who had to run through the hills like outlaws carrying their hot stills so as not to be caught by the authorities.
Aurelio Tobon
Maker of:
Papalote & Pizorra >
