Don Mateo de la Sierra Cupreata Mezcal

Don Mateo de la Sierra is the vinata of maestro mezcalero Emilio Vieyra in Pino Bonito, Michoacán, named for the ancestor who settled in the area and founded the distillery in 1840. Emilio is the sixth generation of his family to make mezcal and works alongside his parents, both respected mezcaleros themselves. He was instrumental in getting Michoacán included in the mezcal denomination of origin and became the first certified mezcalero in the state. Agave cupreata is one of the two agaves at the center of the family's work, along with inaequidens. Here it is cooked in a traditional conical earthen oven, crushed in a small mechanical grinder, and fermented naturally in underground, wood-lined cement tanks with spring water. Distillation takes place in the family's hybrid Filipino-style stills, built from copper and pine and fir wood, over roughly 36 hours. It is bottled at about 46% ABV, which can vary slightly by batch. Importer Skurnik lists anise and fennel, citrus zest and fresh sage, with pine resin, lemongrass, green apple and peppercorn. Sip it neat to taste how different Michoacán mezcal is from Oaxaca's.

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