Prices are those listed by our Ukiah CA neighbor Caddell & Williams. At your local store, the price(s) may vary significantly, due to transportation costs, state excise taxes, and the pricing structure of the store and of the distributor.
“The mere existence of Mezcalero is fantastic. The fact that they continue to produce such high quality mezcals so consistently is even better”– MEZCALISTAS
“The Mezcalero series is without a doubt the finest collection of mezcals I’ve ever tasted. Nothing from Del Maguey or any other bottler even comes close”
– David Driscoll, K&L Wines
Tasting Mezcalero
Wild agaves have intense and specific flavors, usually complex. Tasted side by side, the Mezcalero bottlings suggest the amazingly wide range of qualities and flavors to be found in well-distilled agaves: the suavity of Sierra Negra, the spiciness of Tepeztate, the elegant finesse of Tobalá. The Mezcalero bottlings are very well-distilled, very “clean”. They are about as good as mezcal gets.
How do these mezcals differ from their name-protected mezcal cousins from Tequila? First, artisan mezcals are smoky because the agaves are not steamed in an autoclave (modern industrial tequila production), or roasted in an enclosed oven (like many small-production tequilas), but roasted in an in-ground fire-pit above a live wood fire. Second, artisan mezcal producers distill the agave solids along with the fermented agave juice, whereas tequila producers filter the solids out and distill liquids only. For this reason, artisan mezcals embody more of the vegetal components of the agave, thus are noticeably more complex and, to our taste, richer.
Current Releases
The Mezcalero releases are numbered; their labels specify the agaves, the distiller(s), and the number of bottles in the batch.
MEZCALERO nos. 1 – 25 SOLD OUT
MEZCALERO SPECIAL nos. 1-5 SOLD OUT
MEZCALERO SPECIAL no. 6 Hand-distilled December, 2022, by Rodolfo Juan Juarez in San Juan del Rio from Maguey Azul (agave tequilana), the agave used by statute for tequila. The richness and complexity of this mezcal in comparison with tequilas vividly demonstrate the value of including the agave solids in fermentation and distillation. 48% abv. $135
MEZCALERO No. 26 Hand-distilled April 2018 by Don Valente Angel Garcia in Santa Maria la Pila, near Miahuatlan, from wild arroqueño (agave Americana). This man is a great distiller: the flavors are pure, the cuts precise. We like arroqueño, higher acidity helping to make the flavors clean and distinct. Nice intensity, nice minerality from Miahuatlan’s ferriferous clay shale. 960 bottles. 750 ml / 47% abv $110.00
MEZCALERO No. 27 Hand-distilled May 2019 by Rodolfo Juan Juarez in San Juan del Rio from wild tepeztate (agave marmorum), wild jabali (agave convallis), and cultivated espadín (agave angustifolia).The use of jabali is noteworthy: intensity married to earthy fruitiness; it makes wonderful mezcal but is notoriously difficult to distill. Espadín, broadly round in flavor, is the perfect backdrop for wild agaves. Special stuff. 240 bottles. 750 ml/46% abv SOLD OUT
MEZCALERO No. 28 Hand-distilled May 2013 by Don Valente Angel in Santa Maria la Pila in Miahuatlan from wild bicuishe (agave Karwinskii), semi-wild madrecuishe (agave Karwinskii), wild Mexicano (agave rhodacantha)and cultivated espadín (agave angustifolia).Aged five years in glass: soft, balanced, complex. Unreal. 750 ml/47% abv, 552 bottles $115
MEZCALERO No. 29 Hand-distilled April 2019 by Octavio Jiménez Méndez in Santiago Matatlan from wild tepextate (agave marmorata). Tepextate‘s rich intense fullness. 750 ml/46.5% abv 504 bottles $115