Gozona Arroqueno Destilado Mezcal
Gozona Arroqueno Destilado Mezcal is an uncertified destilado de agave from Luis Enrique Juárez of San Agustín Amatengo, Ejutla, Oaxaca, distilled from 100% Arroqueño agave (Agave americana var. oaxacensis) and bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof) in a 750mL bottle. The agave is roasted in conical earth ovens over mesquite, crushed by ox-drawn tahona, fermented naturally in sabino vats with mountain spring water, and distilled in a copper refrescadera still. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- Style: Destilado de agave (uncertified mezcal), joven
- ABV: 50% (100 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Producer: Luis Enrique Juárez (with Sergio Juárez), Gozona
- Region: San Agustín Amatengo, Ejutla, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Agave: Arroqueño (Agave americana var. oaxacensis)
Sharing From the Heart
Gozona is the work of maestro Luis Enrique Juárez of San Agustín Amatengo, in the Ejutla district of Oaxaca. A schoolteacher by trade, Luis Enrique is the heir to five generations of master distillers: he learned at the side of his father, Sergio Juárez, and built his own brand — Gozona, a Zapotec word meaning “sharing from the heart.” He is an expert in the copper refrescadera still, a traditional technique original to his town, and every batch follows the same slow arc: agave roasted in conical earth ovens over mesquite wood, crushed by ox-drawn tahona, and fermented naturally in sabino wood vats with mountain spring water. Because the Juárez family bottles outside the mezcal denomination, the label reads “Spirits Distilled from Agave” — a destilado de agave in the oldest Amatengo tradition, imported to the US by PM Spirits.
Tasting Notes
Arroqueño is the ancestral parent of Espadín and one of the slowest-maturing agaves in Oaxaca — big, green and generous. The Juárez bottling is rich and full at 50%: roasted agave sweetness, green herbs and the earthy depth that only a decades-old americana plant gives. Compare it with the certified ancestral take from Miahuatlán, the Tepanal Ancestral Arroqueño Mezcal, or its darker palenque sibling, the Gozona Sierra Negra Destilado Mezcal. More awaits on the mezcal shelf.
How to Enjoy
Neat from a copita, rested — at 100 proof this deserves a slow pour and a long evening. It stands up beautifully next to rich food: barbacoa, tlayudas, dark mole. See the full tequila and agave spirits collection for more ancestral agave.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Arroqueño?
Agave americana var. oaxacensis — a giant, slow-growing agave that can take two decades to mature, and the genetic parent of Espadín.
Is Gozona Arroqueno a mezcal?
It is made exactly as mezcal is in Amatengo, but bottled outside the denomination of origin, so it is labeled a destilado de agave — “Spirits Distilled from Agave” — as printed on the label.
What proof is it?
50% ABV, 100 proof, as printed on the label.
Order Gozona Arroqueno Destilado Mezcal online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor while this small batch lasts.