Derrumbes Guerrero Mezcal
Derrumbes Guerrero Mezcal is a 49.1% ABV (98.2 proof), 750mL joven mezcal made exclusively from wild Cupreata agave — locally called Penca ancha — in Coyuca de Catalán, Guerrero, Mexico, by Maestro Mezcalero Israel Ríos. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
Derrumbes travels Mexico state by state, bottling each region's ancestral style, and Guerrero may be its wildest stop: the Ríos family tends nearly 2,000 hectares of wild agave, and the Cupreata hearts are pit-roasted with white oak, milled, fermented with wild yeast in a tinaco, and distilled Philippine style in an ancient tree-trunk still of white fig (higuera) wood fitted with copper. Almost no one else on earth still distills this way, and it gives the Guerrero its unmistakable fresh, funky, mineral character.
Tasting profile: bright and floral with hibiscus and orange blossom over eucalyptus, fresh-cut grass, and ripe mango and guava; a smooth, silky palate of sweet agave, earthy vegetal notes, green peppercorn spice, and sea-salt minerality; a lingering finish of subtle smoke, citrus zest, and cacao. Browse the Derrumbes brand collection, more tequila and mezcal, and the full spirits collection.
Serving note: sip it neat and slow — the higuera-wood still's fruit and minerality are the whole point. A mezcalita with fresh lime lets the smoke play against citrus.
What agave is Derrumbes Guerrero made from? Exclusively wild Cupreata, known locally as Penca ancha, from Coyuca de Catalán in Guerrero.
Who makes Derrumbes Guerrero? Maestro Mezcalero Israel Ríos, whose family manages nearly 2,000 hectares of wild agave in Guerrero.
How is it distilled? Philippine style, in an ancient tree-trunk still made of white fig (higuera) wood with copper — after a white-oak pit roast and wild-yeast fermentation in a tinaco.
What is the ABV? 49.1% ABV (98.2 proof), 750mL.