Destilado de Agave Jabali 'Don Cheto'

• Mezcal produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero José Santiago Lopez
• 100% Jabalí (Agave convallis)
• Cooked in a conical underground oven
• Milled with horse-drawn tahona
• Fermented in open air sabino (cypress) vats (tinas)
• Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills
• Lemongrass, hay, sawdust, black pepper, hard candy, grapefruit peel, rawhide, sharp cheddar
• 50% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

José Santiago López, aka Don Cheto, is rightly seen as a master of the Jabalí agave, producing some of the finest and most complex examples of the species available in commercial release.

Tasting Notes

José Santiago López, aka Don Cheto, is a third-generation mezcalero from Santiago Matatlán, arguably the epicenter of mezcal production in Oaxaca. Don Cheto grew up harvesting agave with his father, who distilled for another producer; when he was 16, his grandfather and father established their own palenque. Today, Don Cheto works to keep family traditions alive, favoring the family’s indigenous first language, Zapoteco, while operating the palenque with his sons and teaching them the craft. A quiet and reserved mezcalero, Don Cheto is known to be reclusive and enigmatic, preferring to let the graceful power of his spirits speak in his place. While he has made numerous iconic batches (including Cuish’s coveted anniversary release from 2019), he is rightly seen as a master of the Jabalí agave, producing some of the finest and most complex examples of the species available in commercial release.