Don Lorenzo Mezcal Sierra Negra
Don Lorenzo Mezcal Sierra Negra is a 750mL mezcal artesanal bottled at 45.5% ABV (91 proof), made from the rare Sierra Negra agave in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. Pit-roasted over red oak, crushed by a hand-chiselled cantera tahona and double-distilled in copper at still strength, it is one of the scarcest bottlings in the Don Lorenzo range. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 45.5% (91 proof) — brand production sheet
- Size: 750mL
- Agave: Sierra Negra — a form of Agave americana, wild and slow-growing
- Origin: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Production (brand sheet): Stone-lined pit roast over red oak; cantera tahona; natural spring water; terroir-influenced natural fermentation; double distillation in copper alembic; bottled at still strength
- Maestros (brand sheet): Albaro Hernandez and Armando Hernandez
- Importer: RILO Import & Export Inc.
Three Generations in Matatlán
Don Lorenzo is made at two palenques in Santiago Matatlán — Palenque Mal de Amor and Palenque Dos Zapotecas — representing three generations of Zapotec mezcal tradition in the town that calls itself the world capital of mezcal. The house method is the old one, and the brand's production sheet reads like a checklist of it: agave roasted in a stone-lined pit over red oak, crushed under a tahona chiselled from cantera stone, fermented naturally with the influence of the local terroir, then double-distilled in small copper alembic stills and bottled at still strength with no water added back. The stated aim is a cleaner, less smoke-forward profile that lets each agave speak. Browse the range on the Don Lorenzo vendor page.
Tasting Notes
No brand tasting note is published for this expression. Sierra Negra as a variety is prized for intensity — a big, earthy agave with deep roasted sweetness and a wild, herbal edge — and Don Lorenzo's still-strength, no-water-added method keeps that character undiluted. Expect the red-oak roast to sit underneath the agave rather than over it, in line with the house's cleaner profile.
How to Enjoy
Sip it neat from a copita or jícara, in small pours, and give it time — wild-agave mezcals at still strength open slowly. Compare it with the foundation of the range, Don Lorenzo Mezcal Espadin, or explore more single-variety bottlings in our tequila and mezcal collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sierra Negra agave?
A large, slow-growing wild form of Agave americana, harvested for mezcal in Oaxaca. It is one of the rarer agaves in commercial mezcal, which is why Sierra Negra bottlings are produced in small quantities and priced above cultivated-espadin expressions.
Where is Don Lorenzo mezcal made?
In Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, at the Mal de Amor and Dos Zapotecas palenques, by a family the brand describes as three generations into the craft.
What does "still strength" mean on this bottle?
The brand adds no water after distillation — the mezcal is bottled at the strength it leaves the copper still, which the production sheet records at 45.5% ABV for this expression.
The rarest agave in the Don Lorenzo line — order Sierra Negra online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.