Destilado de Agave Tepemete (Marcelo Flores) 'Durango'

• Destilado de Agave produced in El Mezquital, Durango
• Maestro Mezcalero Marcelo Flores
• 100% Tepemete (Agave angustifolia var.)
• Cooked using a traditional earthen pit oven 
• Milled by hand using a small axe 
• Fermented in pine wood-lined stone vats, using spring water
• Distilled twice in a Filipino-style hybrid still of copper, wood, and agave quiote
• Delicate and floral, with aromas of roasted red pepper, corn husk, orange creamsicle, lemon balm, wet clay, and flavors of candied yam, salted chocolate malt balls, and a touch of soy
• 60 liters produced in April 2023
• 48% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

A new maestro in the Lamata stable, indigenous Tepehuano mezcalero Marcelo Flores has landed with a splash! He and his family work slowly and carefully, high in the mountains above Durango’s Temoaya Canyon. Marcelo & family carefully select only their highest quality agave for harvest and production, keeping batches exceedingly small (ranging just 20 to 80 liters). The family uses the historic “viejo” Filipino-style still common to the region, which features a copper pot below and a conical barrel-like wood structure above; theirs in particular features a receiving shoot made from a dried quiote (the reproductive stalk of the agave), a romantic final touch as the new distillate exits the chamber. 

Marcelo’s Tepemete—a local nomenclature for A. angustifolia—is delicate and floral, with sweet and savory aromas comingling gracefully. A delight to sip on its own, this has become a recent favorite for pairing agave spirits with cuisine.