El Mero Mero Mezcal
El Mero Mero Mezcal hails from San Dionisio, which is right in the center of Oaxaca, the Southwestern region of Mexico. Historically, mezcals from this region were very rare because of the rural and inaccessible landscape. San Dionisio is an extremely dry region, only yielding about 20 inches of rain per year. The dryness of the region stresses the agave plants, which forces the roots to dig deeper in the ground in search of water. Additionally, the soil in the area is rich in limestone, a mineral that helps crops retain water and adds minerality to the flavor profile of the distillate. What results are agaves that are much smaller than normal agave plants, lower in yield, but pack a ton of flavors. The agave can then be harvested early due to their high sugar content. El Mero Mero Mezcal dry farms their agave. This dry farming method conserves soil moisture through a tillage system, surface protection, and the usage of drought-resistant varieties, ultimately contributing to a sustainable agricultural production. Furthermore, as a way to increase sustainability, they use bagazo, a type of manure, for their agave fields. All of the mezcals are small batch and undiluted with no additives. Justina Cruz, Mezcalero, created El Mero Mero Mezcal to share with friends and family, but wanted to share with the rest of the world what the mezcaleros drink.
