Spirits · Michoacán
Don Mateo
Family-made Michoacán mezcal from pine-forest agave fields.
- Based in
- Michoacán
Their story
Mezcal Don Mateo de la Sierra comes from the mountains of Michoacán, about an hour from Morelia, where Emilio Vieyra makes mezcal in a pine forest above a canyon. The brand is named for his grandfather, Don Mateo, and Emilio is a sixth-generation mezcalero.
Emilio learned from his father, Don José Emilio Rangel, and works with his mother, Doña Delia, who runs the agave nursery and created the family's pechuga recipe. He was the first mezcalero in Michoacán certified by the mezcal regulatory council and pushed for the state's inclusion in the mezcal denomination of origin.
How it's made
Most of the agave, chiefly Cupreata and Cenizo, comes from the family's own fields, some of them certified Bat Friendly. The hearts are roasted in an underground pit oven, fermented in wood-lined pits with spring water, and distilled very slowly in traditional Filipino-style stills. For the pechuga, Doña Delia's recipe of meat, herbs and spices goes into a third distillation.
Why we carry them
We love Don Mateo for showing what Michoacán mezcal can be. It is small-batch, made by a family, and full of character.
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