From Field to Bottle
Maestro Mezcalero Kaín carefully oversees the entire production process – from the selection of wild agave to its mystical transformation into superior mezcal.
Our Wild Mezcals
Wild agaves shape the Matatlán landscape — from cliffside Tepeztate to slender Cuishe and broad-leafed Tobalá. As these agaves near the end of their natural life, trained jimadors harvest them at peak sugar. Using a sharp coa, they skillfully trim the spiny leaves — too much, and flavor is lost; too little, and bitterness seeps in. Every cut demands the precision of a seasoned mezcalero.
The Santiago family has historical presence in local mezcal production.
Integral to the Matatlan community, the Santiago family’s busy palenques support a team of jimadors and their families.
Kaín and his team of jimadors hand select and harvest agave on family lands surrounding the palenque as well.
The Santiago family’s longstanding, deep relationships with the jimadors allow them to source the best certified wild agave
and cultivated Espadin in Oaxaca.
Not one step substitutes ease over quality and tradition. Our mezcals are created using a traditional, non-mechanized
process based on centuries-old traditions and recipes passed from one generation to the next.
Roasting
Rooted in Matatlán, the Santiago family has long been part of Oaxaca’s mezcal heritage. Their palenques support local jimadors, many of whom harvest wild and cultivated agave by hand on family lands. Generations of trust ensure access to the region’s finest agave. Every step honors tradition — no shortcuts, no machines, just time-tested craft.
Sustainable
There is little waste here, as agave leaves that help fuel the fire to roast the piñas and cook the agave mash — bagasso —
return to the fields as fertilizer. The cultivated Espadin agave is continuously replanted for future harvests.
Milling
In a centuries-old ritual, ripe piñas are piled into a stone-lined earthen pit and slow-roasted over mesquite for days. Covered with wet canvas and earth to seal in the heat, they roast under Kaín’s watch until the pulp is perfectly caramelized. During harvest, sweet smoke hangs over the palenque for weeks.
Fermentation = Alchemy
Sustainability is woven into every step — agave leaves fuel the fire, and leftover bagasso returns to the fields as fertilizer. Cultivated Espadín is replanted to ensure future harvests.
Distillation
Kaín and his team extract every last drop from the roasted agave, grinding it to a soft mash with a traditional tahona. Water from the palenque’s 60-year-old well — pure, soft, and low in minerals — helps reveal the agave’s truest expression.
