LA TIERRA DE ACRE MEZCALEROS

Before taking over the family mezcal business, Jorge went to college in the U.S. to study business and returned home with a clear vision on how to grow the family's production without losing its authenticity and sustainability.

The wild Cenizo agave, which grows in abundance throughout the Durango region, has sustained the Burciaga family for decades, yet it's their stringent production methods that has led to their continued success and now, our award-winning Cenizo Mezcal.

Place: Valle Florida, Durango, MX

Expression: Cenizo

Jorge mainly uses traditional production methods using natural spring water and manual crushing (Axe) of the roasted agave. This extremely labor intensive step (that most skip) allows for uniformity in the size of the agave fibers and a balanced fermentation process leading to a more consistent product.

To minimize his environmental impact, Jorge repurposes the waste of his mezcal production into adobe bricks which are then donated to the town for buildings and other structures.

Honorato Cruz and his family hail from the 500-person indigenous Zapotec village of Santa Ana del Río, Oaxaca where nearly every member of this town has worked with agave, building an encyclopedic knowledge of mezcal production passed down through the generations.

Place: Santa Ana del Rio, Oaxaca, MX

Expressions: Espadin, Tobala, Tepeztate

Along with his brothers, Honorato Cruz crafts his mezcal using only traditional methods and the highest quality agave.

To ensure the sustainability of the more rare Tobalá and Tepeztate agave plants, Honorato allows 50% of the plants to reach full maturity in order to be pollinated by the local bat population. The unorthodox process fosters biodiversity and ensures a future abundance of the plant.