Félix Ramírez Mendez, Yogana, Oaxaca 0123FRM, 46.7%, 330 bottles, December, 2023

While Felix has always produced mezcal from more than a few agave varietals, including espadín, tepextate, cuishe, tobalá, and castilla, because he only works with plants he grows himself, it’s pretty rare that he has enough of anything other than espadín to make a batch large enough for export. After bottling six consecutive batches of espadín since 2018, this is the first of several expressions we’re bottling for release in the USA.

When he’s not working his fields, Félix works his agaves into mezcal. On Fridays, he drives north to the Ocotlán market, where he sells his mezcal and uses the money to purchase packaged goods that his wife and daughter sell out of their neighborhood store. This batch is the first commercially bottling of the Ramírez Mendez family’s mezcal.

More info on mezcalmalbien.com