San Luis Del Río
San Luis Del Río is a village two hours' drive south of Oaxaca en route to the Gulf of Tehuantepec and is where Don Paciano Cruz Nolasco and his son Marcos make a number of mezcals for Del Maguey, including Vida Clásico.
Thanks to Ron Cooper, the mezcal from this mountain village was one of the first two artisanal mezcals bottled commercially and exported. (The other was from San Baltazar Chichicápam.)
Don Paciano's palenque sits close to a river, with his son's palenque on the other bank. The two palenques jointly boast five earthen pit ovens (hornos), 140 fermenters (tinas), and 21 alembic copper stills. The family grows almost all the agaves for their production and has a vivero or nursery where they grow agave from seed and hijuelos.
San Luis Del Rio is the largest of the family-owned operations Del Maguey works with, and electric shredders (molinos) help satisfy the demand for Vida Clásico and its higher-alcohol sibling, Vida de Muertos. The mezcals from San Luis Del Rio have a fruity earthiness that many attribute to the terroir of this valley and the Rio. Hormiga Colorada (Red Ant River).
Production notes
Elevation: 2,952 feet (900 metres)
Agave: Espadín (7-8 years old)
Roast: Earthen pit horno for 3-8 days
Mill: Horse-drawn Tahona wheel
Water source: Spring
Fermentation: Natural yeast in 1,400 litre open-top wooden tinas
Distillation: Double distilled in 350 litre direct-fired alembic 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
Del Maguey San Luis Del Rio
San Luis Del Río is a village two hours' drive south of Oaxaca on a two-lane, potholed highway en route to the Gulf of Tehuantepec. It takes another two
Del Maguey Vida Clásico Mezcal
Launched in 2010 and produced in the mountainous village of San Luis Del Rio, Vida is an artisanal, organic mezcal twice distilled in small wood-fired,
Del Maguey Vida de Muertos
Vida de Muertos is a special 45% alc./vol edition of Del Maguey Vida inspired by the batches of Mezcal that are distilled in autumn by the family of Paciano
Del Maguey Madrecuixe Mezcal
Madrecuixe is a wild, tall cylindrical agave that has leaves that grow from ground up.
Del Maguey San Luis Del Rio Stitzel Weller Cask
A Special Edition Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal distilled in San Luis Del Rio in Oaxaca. Unusually, this mezcal was aged (or 'finished') for 2,976 hours/124
