This Mezcal Company Is Drawing on Four Generations of Ancestral Methods | Eater

"Run by maestro mezcalero Rogelio Juan Hernández — whose family has produced mezcal for four generations in San Juan del Río, Oaxaca — this distillery crafts mezcal from espadín agave that needs seven to eight years to mature. The ancestral, labor-intensive production starts with harvesting the piña, which is roasted over firewood beneath a covering of river rocks and banana tree husks for about 24 hours until it turns sweet and honey-like. After cooling, a mule-driven tahona crushes the cooked agave to separate fibers and sugars; those juices ferment and are distilled twice, with the second distillation producing the final mezcal. Launched in 2021 with partner Rafael Shin after Hernández spent 18 years in the United States, the operation aims to revalue mezcal by paying producers higher prices for better-quality spirits and to create local opportunities — including bringing Hernández’s son, Julio Juan, into the craft — to reduce community emigration." - Bettina Makalintal