Destilado de Agave, Pechuga de Guajolote, 'Hombres de Campo'

• Destilado de agave produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Pedro Martínez Sernas
• Distilled from Espadín (Agave angustifolia) and Bicuish (Agave karwinskii)
• Cooked in a conical earthen pit oven using pine and mesquite wood
• Milled using traditional horse-drawn stone tahona
• Fermented in Encino oak vats (tinas) using proprietary well water
• Double distilled in copper pot stills
• The second distillation sees the addition of turkey breast (gaujolote) as well as plantain, orange, pineapple, canela, and other locally harvested ingredients
• Adjusted using spring water and tails
• 50% ABV

A tribute to the work of past generations, this pechuga uses the same recipe that Sernas siblings’ father and grandfather used for the palenque’s original label, Mezcal Libertad, beginning in 1963. Distilled from an ensamble of Espadín and Bicuish using copper pot stills—clay pots only being reintroduced to the family’s consistent production in 2013—this is a bright and generous example of traditional pechuga, with a mellow, oily texture, a subtle note of olive brine, and a preponderance of fruit on both the nose and palate. Contemplative and crushable at once, and a rare production from the family to see stateside!

Hombres de Campo: Each year in late June, Gonzalo Martínez Sernas and his family—his three brothers, three sisters, and his nephew—take a break from their rigorous production schedule and organize a massive anniversary celebration for the family palenque. Tables are nestled among the stills, lights are strung, and prominent chefs from across Mexico and beyond join the family to prepare an extravagant feast for their guests while cocktails and jugs of mezcal are passed among the crowd. It’s quite a throwdown. Since the 59th anniversary in 2022, Gonzalo has been marking the occasion with the release of a small series of exquisite, unique mezcales that feature a new and distinct label theme each year. “Hombres de Campo” celebrates the individual family members who comprise Macurichos’ day-to-day productions, their portraits decorating the label of each limited edition release.