Almamezcalera Pal’Alma Salmiana Uncertified Mezcal 750ml

Almamezcalera Pal’Alma is the export brand for Almamezcalera, the bottling label from Mexico City’s notorious “Indiana Jones of Agave”, Erick Rodriguez. Equal parts historian and adventurer, Erick travels to remote production sites all over Mexico. Deeply committed to local traditions and rooted in rustic ingenuity, Erick’s collaborators are all bona fide local legends in their own right. Working with just a single mezcalero per state, including several states (such as Nuevo León and Sonora) not currently acknowledged under the “Mezcal” Denomination of Origin, Erick bottles tiny batches of truly thrilling, uncertified agave distillates. His selections are presented at his small, appointment-only tasting room, and as exclusive batches with iconic venues like Omar Hernandez Gallery in Oaxaca and Pujol in Mexico City. Coveted by mezcal aficionados around the world, Erick’s spirits have previously only been available to consumers by meeting with him directly. We are honored and excited to help finally bring his aguardientes de agave to a wider audience!

The first batch of Almamezcalera Pal’Alma uncertified mezcal (or Aguardiente de Agave) comes from the state of San Luis Potosí, in Central Mexico, a region popular among mezcal aficionados for its endemic Agave Salmiana, which grows around 6,000 ft above sea level. The variety, recognizable for its thick dark leaves (‘pencas’) which curve and twist as they mature, can grow to more than seven feet wide and tall, and takes anywhere from 12 to 25 years to reach maturity. Maestro Patricio Hernandez cooks the piñas in a stone oven, then mills the cooked agave using a traditional tahona; to ferment, however, around 30% fresh pulque is added to the crushed agave in a pine vat (a ‘tina’), almost like a sour mash or kombucha.