Mezcal Amores Cupreata 43%

Mezcal Amores Cupreata is an artisanally distilled single-variety mezcal from Santiago, Mazatlan in the Oaxaca region of South Western Mexico. Tequila is a type of mezcal (or mescal) that can only be made from one type of agave, the blue agave, however Mezcal can be made from up to 18 different types of agave. Mezcal Amores Cupreata is made from Agave cupreata which is also known as the Dwarf Cowhorn Agave and, locally, as the maguey papalote. It is only found on the mountain slopes of the Rio Balsas basin in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Guerrero at elevations of 1,200-1,800 meters.

Mezcal Amores was founded to make the best Mezcal possible, from the best terroirs whilst respecting, not only the environment, but also the workers that put in all the hard work involved in working the land, harvesting agave and producing the spirit. Mezcal Amores works only with sustainably cultivated agaves that are widely available, not endangered or grown in the wild. They also reinvest 15% of gross profits back into the local community to ensure the raw material and production over the long term. Five agave plants are planted for every one used.

For the Mezcal Amores Cupreata only agave that are at least 13 years old are harvested. The agave harvest a labour intensive job, the agave are harvested by four jimaderos (jima is the process of harvesting the agave) who, in a normal 8 hour day, harvest around 70 cones (or quiotas, the heart of the plant) weighing 50 to 100 kgs, around 3.5 tonnes in total. This will produce some 350 litres of mezcal.  Once the cones have been harvested they are roasted in wood-fuelled tapered stone ovens, which gives a smoky flavour, before they are mashed. Once mashed they are them fermented with indigenous yeasts and water to produce the alcoholic liquid to be distilled in copper pot stills. As with most mezcal this is only distilled twice, unlike the Mezcal Amores Espadin Joven which is triple distilled.