Spirits · Oaxaca
Erstwhile Mezcal
A Brooklyn-based label sharing mezcal from small Oaxacan family producers.
- Founded by
- Yuan Ji, Kevin J. Brown
- Based in
- Oaxaca
Their story
Erstwhile Mezcal was founded by Yuan Ji and Kevin J. Brown, who bring mezcal from Oaxaca to the U.S. from their base in Brooklyn. Their mission is to support small, independent, family-owned producers.
The families they work with have deep roots. They include Epifania Gómez Mejía and Silverio García Luis, a three-generation Zapotec family in Rancho Blanco Güilá; Hortensia Hernández Martínez, who runs a women-led distillery with her daughters in Santiago Matatlán; Juan Abel Quiroz Agustín of Santa María Sola; and the nine-generation Lucas García family of San Isidro Guishe in the southern highlands.
How it's made
Each mezcal is made by its family in their own palenque using methods passed down for generations. Some, like Abel's mezcals from the Sola de Vega tradition, are distilled only in clay pots. Bottlings are released by producer and agave, so each one reflects a specific family and place.
Why we carry them
We appreciate how Erstwhile puts the families front and center on every bottle. It's a great way to explore how much mezcal can vary from one village to the next.
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