Crafted at a multiple award-winning, family-run palenque in Oaxaca, this mezcal blends 80% Espadín with 20% wild Tepeztate for a complex, harmonious, yet highly approachable mezcal ready for serious sipping.
The Backstory
Made by a multiple award-winning, family-run palenque in Oaxaca, this mezcal brings together 80% Espadín—the backbone of many great mezcals—with 20% wild Tepeztate, a highly prized agave that takes decades to mature and is known for its bold, herbaceous personality.
The result is a harmonious, complex, yet highly approachable ensamble mezcal for serious sipping.
Meet the Producers
This mezcal is handcrafted by Silverio García, Epifania Gómez and their family from Rancho Blanco Güilá, Oaxaca. They have earned repeated international recognition for their commitment to traditional mezcal production and consistent, uncompromising quality.
How This Mezcal Is Made
In this short video, master distiller Silverio García takes us behind the scenes and shares tips on how to make exceptional mezcal, straight from their family palenque.
Production Highlights:
- 100% agave mezcal
- Wild, native yeast fermentation in open ocote pine wood vats
- Double distilled in copper pot stills
- No additives
- Small-batch production using traditional methods from a single family palenque
Tasting Notes
A harmonious blend of Espadín’s butterscotch and black tea richness with Tepeztate’s bold, herbaceous complexity. Notes of roasted agave, fresh green herbs, and cracked black pepper evolve into subtle hints of banana and smoked meats. The finish is long, savory, and gently smoky, with lingering minerality and spice.
Ideal for sipping neat, sharing with mezcal enthusiasts, or introducing curious drinkers to a more complex expression beyond entry-level mezcal.
Where to Find This Mezcal
This limited release is available at a small number of independent retailers who prioritize education, craftsmanship, and exceptional quality.
Currently available at:
Photos
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- Tepeztate
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- Palenque Don Lencho
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- Espadin agave seedling (hijuelo)
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- Preparing Espadin agave seedlings for replanting
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- Preparing Espadin agave seedlings for replanting
Details
Master Mezcalero: Silverio García Luis & Epifania Gómez Mejía
NOM: NOM-O86X
Agave Varietals: Tepeztate & Espadín
Town / Municipality: Rancho Blanco Güilá, Santiago Matatlán
State: Oaxaca
Fermentation: Natural, Natural Fermentation in Ocote pine wood tanks
Still Type: Copper Alembic
ABV: 48-49%
Tasting Notes:
Coming Soon
Espadin (Agave angustifolia)
Espadin is the most common varietal of agave used in mezcal production. It is indigenous to most mezcal-producing regions and adapts well to cultivation. Depending on the terroir and climate, Esapdin typically takes 5-7 years to mature, which is considered fast in the world of agaves.
Espadin piñas come in a variety of sizes, and can weigh as much as several hundred pounds. The agave is easy to work with. Subject to the hand of the maker, Espadin can yield a wide variety of flavors and profiles, depending on the climate, time of year at harvest, production style, altitude, and countless other factors.
Do not underestimate Espadin. Despite the fact that Espadin is the most “common” agave varietal used for mezcal production, and often less expensive than other varietals, it makes some of the best and most interesting mezcals. As a friend in the trade once said, Espadin mezcal is never “just an Espadin.”
Tepeztate (Agave marmorata)
Tepeztate is also known as Pichumetl, Pichomel, Pichorra, or Pizorra in some regions of Mexico. An unusually slow-growing agave, Tepeztate is often found on rocky slopes and hillsides. Its name derives from Tepetl, the Nahuatl word for mountain or hill, undoubtedly a reference to the habitats where this plant is most commonly found.
Tepeztate cannot be cultivated on a large scale, and takes roughly 25 – 30 years to mature. As a result, nearly all Tepeztate mezcals available in the market today are made exclusively from agave plants harvested in the wild.
Tepeztates have strong personalities, both in appearance and in taste. They have distinctively broad leaves, and can weigh as much as several hundred pounds.
Depending on the terroir and environment, Tepeztates from one region of Oaxaca (and Mexico in general) can look dramatically different from those grown in another region.
We can offer two data points from our personal travels in Oaxaca:
In parts of northwestern Oaxaca, for example, the plant is locally known as Pichumetl, and tends to be symmetric and upright in appearance.
But heading south to Miahuatlán (approximately a 4 hour drive by car), we have seen tepeztates that remind us of giant green octopuses lodged in steep rocky slopes, with twisted tentacle-like leaves that drape over the soil – and each other – with much drama and panache.
Like most agave varietals, the taste of tepeztate in mezcal form can differ significantly depending on the terroir and natural yeast found in each producer’s community. Mezcals made from Tepeztate can taste funky or lactic (in a good way!), and often have a highly vegetal, earthy, and herbaceous quality.
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