Mezcal Jabali 'Cuna' (Don Cheto)

• Mezcal produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Jose Santiago López
• 100% Jabalí (A. convallis)
• Cooked in a conical earthen oven
• Crushed using a traditional stone tahona mill
• Fermented in open air wooden tanks (tinas)
• Distilled twice using wood-fired copper pot stills
• Lemongrass, hay, green apple, sawdust, lime leaf, white flowers, black pepper, hard candy, grapefruit peel, rawhide
• 47% ABV (Alcohol will change from batch to batch)

Jose Santiago López, aka Don Cheto, is a third-generation mezcalero from the “Cuna (Cradle) of Mezcal” in Oaxaca, Santiago Matatlán. Don Cheto grew up harvesting agave for his father, who distilled for another mezcal brand; when he was 16, his grandfather and father established their own palenque. Today, he operates the palenque with his sons, who are learning the craft at his side. An enigmatic and exuberant mezcalero covered in beautiful tattoos, Don Cheto has a playful—even mischievous—streak that seems to extend into his spirits. An early adopter of sustainability efforts in the region, he works closely with local artisans and universities alike to develop new methods of reducing and reusing the waste byproducts of mezcal production. Don Cheto is particularly well known for his work with the notoriously challenging Jabalí, which he imbues with a bright and muscular grace that makes his take on the species a lodestar for all others.