Basic Info

Making great artisanal mezcal happen out in the market is not just about finding talented distillers. It’s about doing business with them in a way that keeps this beautiful human activity alive. It’s simple things: respecting tradition, dealing empathetically, helping humans make enough money so that their kids don’t go to L.A. to find work. Read Spear has brought on some wonderfully talented distillers, but his real accomplishment shows up in these photos: making his dream their dream too: keeping alive what they love, what they give their hearts to. It’s about work and community and a culture. It’s about treating humans the way humans should be treated. Distillers who consistently produce great mezcal have a vibe, a calm pleasure and pride in their work: at peace with doing something they have done well many many times. Techniques and agaves and equipment vary, but at heart these palenqueros strive to purify and concentrate the subtle flavors and aromas of the wondrous agave. They have a deep understanding of their work because they touch everything they do with their hands. The opossum, or tlacuache, is on each bottle to represent this spirit. An homage to the Mexican folk tale of how the opossum stole Mezcal, tobacco and fire from the demons of the underworld as a gift to humans.