Generations of Mezcal

This full-day experience takes you deep into the hinterland surrounding the colonial city of Oaxaca. Here lies a regional heritage dating back centuries: the production of the agave distillate known as mezcal. With a mezcal educator as your guide, you’ll visit unique ancestral clay pot production facilities, and artisanal copper alembic distilleries. They are owned and operated by Zapotec families, one of the region’s most prominent Indigenous ethnolinguistic groups, with whom both Alvin and Randall have developed strong bonds of friendship over the years. Your hosts and the distillers (palenqueros) will make you feel right at home, whether at their distilleries or in their modest homesteads. You’ll come to understand the mezcal production process, from agave growing and harvesting to fermenting and distilling. You’ll do this at a handful of family distilleries off the mass-production trail, where family members take a conscientious approach to mezcal production.

This is truly an in-depth exploration of the whole mezcal production process and agave culture. Your hosts will bring an anthropological perspective to the tour, meaning that not only will you enjoy expert tastings on mezcal and its varieties, but you will also come to a greater understanding of the cultural and social world that exists, inextricably, in the distilleries (palenques) of Oaxaca. Being fully private, your visits to the distilleries will go at a natural pace, giving you time to really interact and connect with the people you meet. This is an exploration of rural Oaxaca, wherein the true value lies in the expertise of the generations of the palenqueros you’ll meet, and the educational approach your hosts take to curating mezcal tours. This is a mezcal experience that invites you to take things slowly and mindfully, and to truly appreciate the generations of knowledge and care behind every batch of mezcal produced.

Alvin Starkman and Randall Stockton are Government of Mexico-licensed to teach about the culture of mezcal and fermented beverages. Alvin’s academic background is in social anthropology while Randall’s is in philosophy, and over their years of learning about and sharing mezcal they have been able to apply their interests in culture in order to create mezcal tours which are rich in detail and context, and more culturally sensitive. They are both permanent residents of the City of Oaxaca, and while they are retired from their previous professional lives, agave distillates remain a full-time passion.

Comfortable, closed, footwear. Weather appropriate layers. Hat and sunscreen. Phone or camera (fully charged), as you will have plenty of opportunities to take great photos. Don’t skip breakfast at your hotel or accommodation, as you will be tasting some mezcals before lunch.