Alipus San Andres Mezcal
Alipus is a line of mezcal produced by small family distilleries in the the state of Oaxaca. The distilleries are on rural pueblos often reachable only by dirt road, and they are centers for the traditional methods of producing mezcal. The San Andres expression is produced by Don Valente on his land, which is a 5000 foot high plateau with shaley soil. It can be hard for agave to grow here, so the resulting plants are hardier with long root systems and great starchy sugars. Don Valente works with a combination of espadín agave and semi-wild bicuishe agave, roasting the agave in earthen pits in the traditional way and then chopping the agave by hand. This is a great bottle for floral notes, smoke, and sweet, earthy flavors.
