Santa Maria Albarradas
Ron Copper met Rogelio Martínez Cruz and his family, who live in the mountain town of Santa Maria Albarradas in 1996 after making a detor on his journey to Santo Domingo Albarradas. It was a diversion driven by the reputation of the tobalá mezcal Rogelio makes.
Rogelio, a slight man with high cheekbones, makes his mezcal with wild Tobalá which he harvests between 12 and 18 years of age. The agave are roasted in earthen pits, not for a mere three to ten days, but for a month, after which time they start to rot underground. The fungus-covered agave are ground with a horse-pulled stone mill and then fed into open-top wooden fermentation tanks. After a few days, water from a nearby spring known as Agua Santa (meaning sanctified water) is added to the mash. Fermentation lasts six to eight days with distillation in 350-litre direct-fired copper stills.
Production notes
Elevation: 5,577 feet (1,700 meters)
Agave: Tobalá (12-18 years old)
Roast: Earthen pit horno for 30 days
Mill: Horse-pulled wheel
Water source: Spring
Fermentation: Natural yeast in 1,400 litre open-top wooden tinas
Distillation: Double distilled in 350 litre direct-fired copper stills
Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
Status: Bottlers not distillers
Established: 1995
Owner: Del Maguey Ltd
Capacity: Not supplied
Visitor Policy: Not generally accessible
Website: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
Address: Macedonio Alcala No. 403 Local 7, Centro Historico, Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, 68000
Established: 1995
Owner: Del Maguey Ltd
Capacity: Not supplied
Visitor Policy: Not generally accessible
Website: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
Address: Macedonio Alcala No. 403 Local 7, Centro Historico, Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, 68000
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