Palenqueros Onofre Ortiz Mexicano Mezcal

Palenqueros Onofre Ortiz Mexicano Mezcal is a single-producer mezcal from the Palenqueros series created by Luca Gargano of Velier (La Maison & Velier), which bottles individual Oaxacan palenqueros under their own names. Onofre Ortiz, born in 1981 in Bramaderos in the Miahuatlan district of southern Oaxaca, is the son of Alberto Ortiz and the fifth generation of mezcal makers in his family; he runs a palenque with five 350-liter copper pot stills, and before Palenqueros his mezcal had never been exported to the United States. This bottling is made from Mexicano (Agave rhodacantha), a tall, slow-growing variety far less common than espadin: roasted in an underground oven fired with oak and mesquite, crushed by hand with wooden mallets, fermented spontaneously in wooden vats with native yeast and double distilled in copper, then bottled at natural still strength, 47.9% ABV (95.8 proof), in a 750mL bottle with no additives. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• Proof / ABV: 95.8 proof (47.9% ABV), still strength
• Size: 750mL
• Agave: Mexicano (Agave rhodacantha)
• Producer: Onofre Ortiz, Bramaderos, Miahuatlan, Oaxaca — fifth generation
• Process: Oak and mesquite pit roast, hand mallet crush, spontaneous fermentation in wood, double copper pot distillation

The Fifth Generation Steps Forward

The Ortiz name already anchors the Palenqueros range through Alberto Ortiz's Espadin; Onofre is his son, and this Mexicano is his own statement — a rare single-maguey bottling from a young maestro with deep family roots, made entirely by hand, down to crushing the cooked agave with wooden mallets. Compare father and son side by side with the Palenqueros Alberto Ortiz Espadin Mezcal, or explore the wider mezcal collection.

Tasting Notes

Intense smoke, fresh herbal agave and mineral touches balanced by a delicate caramelized sweetness, with smoky, earthy, cooked-agave aromas and a full, enveloping palate — traditional Miahuatlan character at natural strength.

How to Enjoy

Neat in a copita, rested ten minutes to let the smoke settle into the herbal agave. More small-producer bottlings live across our tequila and mezcal shelves and the rare and top shelf collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mexicano agave?
Mexicano is the local name for Agave rhodacantha, a tall variety native to southern Oaxaca. It yields a mezcal that is herbal, mineral and gently sweet, and it is bottled far less often than espadin.

How is Onofre Ortiz related to Alberto Ortiz?
Onofre is Alberto's son and the fifth generation of the family to make mezcal in the Miahuatlan district. Each has his own Palenqueros bottling, from his own palenque and agave.

Is anything added?
No. It is bottled at natural still strength, 47.9% ABV, with no additives.

Pick up Onofre's US debut at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — fifth-generation Miahuatlan mezcal, bottled under his own name.