Zinacantan Pitzomel Mezcal

Zinacantan Pitzomel Mezcal is one of the smallest batches in our entire mezcal collection: just 63 liters of single-distilled Agave marmorata, made from only 18 wild plants by maestra mezcalera Fabiola Torres Monfil in San Diego La Mesa Tochimiltzingo, Puebla, and bottled at 48.7% ABV in a 750mL bottle.

• Style: Mezcal artesanal (uncertified agave spirit), single distillation
• ABV: 48.7% (97.4 proof)
• Size: 750mL
• Producer: Fabiola Torres Monfil, Zinacantan
• Region: San Diego La Mesa Tochimiltzingo / Molcaxac, Puebla, Mexico

Eighteen Plants, Sixty-Three Liters

Pitzomel is the name the Mixteca Baja of southern Puebla gives to Agave marmorata — the slow-growing wild agave known as tepeztate in Oaxaca. Demand has put the plant increasingly at risk in the wild, which is how this batch came to be: an older neighbor of the Torres family, Don Juan of Molcaxac — a village whose name means "Sparrows' Nest" — asked Fabiola to harvest the mature pitzomel on his land, trusting only her to turn it into quality, traditional mezcal. Eighteen plants yielded 63 liters.

The production follows the Zinacantan house method: a conical earthen pit roast with huaje wood, crushing by machete, hatchet and mechanical mill, a 30-day open-air fermentation in pine wood vats with ambient yeast and well water, then a single distillation in a copper pot, proofed with heads and tails and no added water. Zinacantan — founded in 2019 by Fabiola and ecologist Diana Pinzon — is an agroforestry project first and a mezcal brand second, producing only about 1,000 liters a year across every expression.

Tasting Notes

Wild marmorata is prized for intensity and this micro-batch is no exception: a dense, powerful, single-distilled spirit at full 48.7% proof, made in quantities too small to ever repeat exactly. For the full Zinacantan story, taste it alongside the Papalometl and the annual Pechuga.

How to Enjoy

Neat, in small pours, with time and attention — this is a collector's bottle from our Rare & Top Shelf shelves, not a mixing mezcal.

FAQ

What is pitzomel? The Mixteca Baja name for Agave marmorata, the wild agave called tepeztate in Oaxaca.

How much was made? 63 liters total, from only 18 wild plants harvested at Don Juan's request in the municipality of Molcaxac, Puebla.

Is it certified mezcal? Zinacantan is sold as an uncertified agave spirit (destilado de agave), made by traditional methods outside the certification system.

This Zinacantan Pitzomel Mezcal is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, with nationwide shipping.