Don Amado Mezcal Arroqueno
Don Amado Mezcal Arroqueno is a single-varietal joven mezcal — 46% ABV (92 proof), 750mL, made from 100% Arroqueno agave (Agave americana var. oaxacensis) grown at 4,800 feet in San Pablo Apostol, Oaxaca, and double distilled in ceramic clay pots in Santa Catarina Minas. Unaged and bottled clear, it is the purest read on one of mezcal's largest, slowest agaves. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 46% (92 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Agave: 100% Arroqueno (Agave americana var. oaxacensis), ~18 years to mature
- Class: Joven — unaged
- Production: Earthen roast (4 days, guamuchil and mesquite), fermented with bagazo in 1,400L pine vats, double distilled in ceramic pot stills
- Origin: Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca, Mexico
One Enormous Agave, One Clay Pot
Arroqueno is a giant among agaves — a plant so large it needs close to two decades in the ground before harvest, yet cultivatable, which makes this single-varietal bottling sustainable as well as rare. The Arellanes family, making mezcal in Oaxaca's highlands since the late 1700s, treats it the old Minas way: the halved and quartered hearts are roasted four days in earthen pits over guamuchil and mesquite, shredded, fermented with their own fibre in pine vats on airborne yeast, and run twice through ceramic pot stills — a fragile, sixteenth-century method that gives Don Amado its smoky, herbal signature. Set it against the rest of the house in our mezcal selection, browse the wider tequila and mezcal shelves, or visit the Don Amado vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Bright and floral — caramelised agave, leather and a soft thread of smoke. Palate: Ripe cooked yam fruit with quince, persimmon, lemon verbena and citrus leaf, layered over chocolate, espresso and savoury spice. Finish: Supple and mineral, the gentle smoke settling last.
How to Enjoy
Sip it neat from a wide clay copita or a small rocks glass — clay-pot mezcal rewards patience, and the fruit opens as it breathes. It also stands up in a mezcal Old Fashioned, where the chocolate and spice notes deepen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Arroqueno agave? A very large variety of Agave americana (var. oaxacensis) native to Oaxaca. It takes around 18 years to mature, and because it can be cultivated rather than only wild-harvested, bottlings like this one are both exotic and sustainable.
Is Don Amado Arroqueno aged? No. It is a joven mezcal — distilled and bottled without oak ageing — so the flavour is all agave, roast and clay pot.
What does clay-pot distillation change? Ceramic pot stills, the traditional method of Santa Catarina Minas, impart a distinctive minerality and soften the smoke into an herbal, earthy register you do not get from copper.
A clay-pot classic from one of Oaxaca's oldest mezcal families — order Don Amado Mezcal Arroqueno online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.