OUR
PALENQUE
H E C H O
E N
MEXICO
Both tequila and mezcal have protected geographical status. Tequila must come from one of five states in Mexico while mezcal must come from one of nine states, with three of them overlapping. Most mezcal comes from the state of Oaxaca.
S A N
L U I S
DEL RIO
In tequila production the agaves are cooked in a manner that does not impart smoke. In mezcal production the agaves are cooked in earthen ovens allowing the smoke to infuse into the agave as they roast. This brings varying degrees of smoky character to the liquid.
Several hours drive from Oaxaca City, and only accessible by a dirt road is the village of San Luis del RÍo.
Our palenque (distillery) is perched on the steep slopes of the river valley on the outskirts of the village. In this remote corner of Oaxaca, making mezcal is a way of life for those that live there, and the landscape is peppered with blue-green agaves growing up the mountainsides. Agaves flourish in the parched micro-climate, and patiente agriculture is combined with generations of tradition to produce mezcals of unparalleled complexity and character.
