The Making Of Cinco Sentidos Mezcal Papalometl

Maestro mezcalero Amando Alvarez and his son, Ansandro Alvarado Jimenez, use a centuries-old technique to make their mezcal papalometl.

After harvesting the tobala agave, it's cooked for four days in underground conical ovens. It's then hand-milled with wooden mallets, combined with spring water and fermented in rawhide in the open air. After resting for six days, the mash gets double-distilled in clay pots.

This batch, which is on sale in the TSR shop, yielded 270 bottles at 90.2 proof. Alvarez, who hails from the village of Santa Maria Ixcatlan in Oaxaca, is one of the last mezcaleros to distill in this artesanal style.