Getting to Know Family-Made Mezcal

When Noah Arenstein, a mezcal writer and now the bar manager of The Cabinet in New York City, first approached us about telling the story of family-made mezcal for Imbibe, he saw an opportunity to explore an often-overlooked aspect of the spirit. “When you get to the core of it, the families are what make mezcal interesting,” Arenstein says. “A lot of these families are in smaller communities, and they’re often in an isolated part of Mexico. There’s a number of small ethic groups, too, and language groups—Oaxaca has more than 20 different languages spoken in the state. So even people living in the same general area may be doing things very differently, and their mezcal can be completely different.”

“I wanted to explore how that new economic reality has moved these families from subsistence farming to having a money-making enterprise.” —Noah Arenstein

Most Americans have witnessed mezcal’s 21st-century boom from the perspective of a cocktail bar. But in Mexico, the industry’s growth has deeply impacted family relationships and dynamics. “In the U.S. and internationally, people now know [these family] names or some of the brands they’re working on,” Arenstein says of brands including Mezcal Vago and Neta. “I wanted to explore how that new economic reality has moved these families from subsistence farming to having a money-making enterprise.”

For his Imbibe feature, Arenstein profiled the Cortés family (makers of mezcal sold under the 5 Sentidos label), the Sanchez family (who produce mezcal for the Neta label), and the Lopéz family (producers of Mezcal Vago). These spirits are all great places to start an exploration of family-made mezcal. 

As curious drinkers continue their journey, Arenstein recommends several additional bottles to look out for, to better understand the spirit and the families who make it. “Casa Cortés [owners of El Jolgorio] were very well-known mezcaleros in Santiago Matatlán,” he says. “They have family all across Oaxaca, and were one of the first family-owned brands in the U.S.” Dixeebe is a related brand to look out for, he says, from other members of the family. “And another family is a father-son duo in the model of Lalo and Tio Telo [Cortés, of 5 Sentidos], Victor and Emanuel Ramos,” he says of the Miahuatlán-based makers of mezcals sold under labels including Mal Bien. “They make really beautiful mezcal.”

In Santa Caterina Minas, a town about an hour and a half from Oaxaca City, clay pot–distilled mezcal is prominent. “There’s a really distinct terroir and style in that town,” Arenstein says. Producers in the region include siblings Edgar Angeles Carreño and Graciela Angeles Carreño, who continue the family tradition initiated by their great-grandfather, Don Francisco Angeles. “They make Real Minero, which is one of the better-known high-end brands in the U.S.” Another sibling, Eduardo “Lalo” Angeles, now makes mezcal under his own label, Lalocura, “which is another of the really well-respected brands coming from that town,” Arenstein says. “They’re really a generation ahead of other producers in Oaxaca.”

These mezcals will get you started—but Arenstein notes that it’s only a start. “At The Cabinet now, we’re carrying mezcal from 21 different states of Mexico, so this is just a sliver of a sliver of a story that I’ve told,” he says. “These families have a history, and their production is so impressive. It’s another level, and it’s really fascinating.”

6 to Try

Mal Bien Espadin

This San Francisco Wine & Spirits Competition double gold winner is an easy drinker with notes of tropical fruit and leather. $44.99

Mezcal Vago Elote

Mezcal Vago’s signature elote mezcal boasts a buttery, smoky aroma that, on the palate, gives way to notes of tropical fruit, earth, and smoky sweet corn. $49.99

Dixeebe Espadin Edition 3

Produced by Valentin Cortes in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca, this espadin mezcal exhibits soft cocoa and clove sweetness, a velvety mouthfeel, and lingering heat. 375ml/$60

Neta Espadin Miahuatlan Mezcal

Mezcalero Candido García Cruz cuts the agave’s stalk (quiote) before it flowers, thereby concentrating the sugar in the pina and prolonging the agave’s time to ripen, resulting in a richly flavored spirit. $99.99

El Jolgorio Madrecuixe Mezcal

This Madrecuixe batch engages with a vegetal aroma while each sip reveals a minerality and a long warm finish. $134.99

5 Sentidos Tepextate-Cuixe Mezcal

Mezcaleros Eleuterio Perez Ramos (“Tio Tello) and his son Eduardo “Lalo” Perez Cortés are behind this memorable Madrecuixe. The bottling’s robust and complex flavor feature notes of citrus, pepper, and herbs. $135.50