Mal Bien Tequilero Rodriguez
Batch-varying ABV | 750mL | Agave tequilana (Blue Weber) | uncertified destilado de agave — Mal Bien Tequilero Rodriguez is the crossover: Jalisco's famous blue agave worked by Isidro Rodriguez Montoya, a first-generation mezcalero of Rio de Parras, Queréndaro, Michoacán, in the rustic, smoke-kissed style of his own vinata — pit-roasted, hand-milled, stone-pit fermented, double-distilled in filipino-style copper stills. Blue Weber agave lies far outside tequila's denomination of origin here, so it is bottled as an uncertified destilado de agave. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Don Isidro began distilling at 19 and, after 14 years sharing his village's communal vinata, built his own in 2015, where he now works with his sons and son-in-law. His documented methods: encino-fired pit, hand-milling in eucalyptus canoas, spring-water fermentation in stone pits finished with a couple liters of pulque per thousand liters of mash, two distillations in 300-liter filipino copper/oyamel stills, adjusted with flores y colas. The result is blue Weber's bright, herbal, citrus-driven character lifted by Isidro's clean, mineral, smoke-kissed Michoacán house style — roasted agave sweetness at the core, white pepper, wild herbs, and a long mineral finish. Among agave spirits, Tequilero is the pour for the tequila-curious who want to taste what blue Weber does when a mezcalero runs the show. Note: it is explicitly NOT tequila — do not list it as one.
Tasting notes
Bright and herbal; roasted blue-agave sweetness; white pepper, citrus zest, wild herbs; clean mineral Michoacán profile; smoke-kissed, lingering finish. (Producer-style descriptors.)
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- Batch-varying ABV — 750mL, uncertified destilado de agave
- Agave tequilana (Blue Weber) made by Isidro Rodriguez Montoya
- First-generation mezcalero, Rio de Parras, Queréndaro, Michoacán
- Pit roast, hand-milled canoas, stone-pit fermentation, filipino copper stills
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat to taste the crossover character, or in a paloma-style highball where the smoke-kissed agave stands in for blanco tequila.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a tequila?
No — despite the name, it is explicitly NOT tequila (it is grown and made far outside tequila's denomination of origin). It is an uncertified destilado de agave made with mezcal methods.
Who makes it?
Isidro Rodriguez Montoya, first-generation mezcalero of Rio de Parras, Queréndaro, Michoacán. (Mal Bien's official site also documents a Ramos-family Tequilero from Miahuatlán — this in-stock bottle is the Rodriguez bottling; the tape label wins.)
Why is it called "Tequilero"?
It is made from Agave tequilana — blue Weber, the tequila agave — worked by a mezcalero with traditional methods.
What proof is it?
Lotes vary — confirm against the in-stock bottle's tape label.