Tepanal Ancestral Coyote Mezcal

Tepanal Ancestral Coyote Mezcal is a still-proof ancestral mezcal from maestro Rafael García Aragón in Santa María Sola de Vega, Oaxaca, distilled from wild Coyote, a variety of Agave americana that grows in the hills around Tepanaltepec, and bottled at 49% ABV in a 750mL bottle. Coyote is slow to mature and hard to find in quantity, so it is rarely bottled on its own. The García Quiroz family has made agave spirits here for three generations: the agave roasts about three days in a stone-lined earthen pit over heated river stones, ferments with wild yeast in open wooden vats, and is double distilled in small clay pots, with every cut judged by hand. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• Proof / ABV: 98 proof (49% ABV), still proof
• Size: 750mL
• Agave: Coyote (Agave americana), wild
• Maestro: Rafael García Aragón, García Quiroz family
• Method: Earthen pit roast, wild-yeast wood-vat fermentation, double clay-pot distillation
• Origin: Santa María Sola de Vega, Oaxaca, Mexico

The Rarest Agave in the Tepanal Range

Tepanal takes its name from Tepanaltepec, “hill of honeycombs,” for the honey once harvested in these hills, and the brand launched in 2020 with Rafael’s son Jair and partner Antonio Avendaño to bottle Sola de Vega’s clay-pot tradition under one label. Sola de Vega is the district that made clay-pot distillation famous, and Coyote is its wild card: a rugged americana that yields little spirit per plant. Explore more wild-agave mezcal and small-batch agave spirits across our spirits shelves.

Tasting Notes

Earth, cacao shell, leather, roasted maguey and dry forest on the nose. The palate is bold and concentrated — dark chocolate, burnt sugar, pine resin, cracked pepper and roasted nuts — over the mineral depth clay pots leave behind, finishing long, smoky and earthy.

How to Enjoy

Sip it neat from a jícara or copita and give it air — still-proof clay-pot mezcal opens in layers. It also stands up in a mezcal Old Fashioned. Browse more agave pours among our tequila and mezcal shelves.

Frequently Asked Questions

What agave is Tepanal Coyote made from?
Wild Coyote, a variety of Agave americana that grows in the hills around Santa María Sola de Vega. It is slow to mature and low-yielding, which is why single-agave Coyote bottlings are rare.

What does ancestral mean?
The oldest mezcal method: pit-roasted agave, wild-yeast fermentation in wood, and distillation in clay pots rather than copper. Tepanal is double distilled in clay and bottled at still proof.

What proof is it?
49% ABV (98 proof) in a 750mL bottle, exactly as it comes off the clay pots.

Order Tepanal Ancestral Coyote from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — the wildest pour in the Tepanal range.