Derrumbes Mezcal Oaxaca Espadín & Tobala

Derrumbes is a terroir series that bottles one Mexican state per release, and this Oaxaca expression is the original of the line, an ensamble of two of the region's most representative agaves. Espadin brings the sweet balanced backbone while wild Tobalá (Agave potatorum) adds floral and mineral lift. It is made by third generation agave farmer and maestro Javier Mateo and his family in Santiago Matatlán, the dense heart of the central valleys.

The agave is cooked in an underground stone pit over black oak, crushed on a tahona, then wild fermented in wood vats with the fibres and a measure of pulque as a starter, using water from the Zapotec town of Mitla. After copper pot distillation it rests a minimum of sixty days in glass. The result is round and full bodied with a light smokiness giving way to minerality and delicate fruit, bottled near 47.5%.