Rio de Parras, Querendaro Michoacán 0423IRM, 46.7%, 266 bottles, March, 2022

Ask Isidro what kind of mezcal he produces and he’ll tell you he only works with maguey alto. That’s almost true, except when he’s experimenting with apple eau de vie, batches made only using quiotes (no piñas), trout pechugas, a 50L oak “infinity” barrel, and who knows what else. Ask what he used to produce, and he’ll tell you about the days when maguey manso used to be more available in the region. To produce this batch of manso, Isidro’s first in more than a decade, he had to source the plants from Jiquilpan, a town some 4+ hours away near the border with Jalisco.

Isidro is a first-generation mezcalero who began distilling when he was 19 years old. After sharing his village’s communal vinata for many years, he built his own in 2015, where he currently works with his sons and son-in-law.

More info on mezcalmalbien.com