Back to My Roots in San Baltazar Guelavila
Our Second Palenque Day of Oaxacan Mezcal Adventure February 2024
I wouldn’t expect you to remember, but this was the site of my very first palenque visit—back in August 2015, when my mezcal guru Job (whose name is not Job!) first took me there.
Yes, Job turned a casual encounter of meeting him at a food festival in San Miguel de Allende—into what’s become a transformative passion. Through his knowledge, wild energy, and later struggles, he not only shaped my appreciation for artesanal mezcal but also played a pivotal role in making my life in Mexico richer and more meaningful.
Read “The Story of Job” here, and “The Story of Job: Part 2” here…
On that first trip, Job introduced us to Empanadas Zenaida, which is alongside the highway just before you get to Santiago Matatlán.
On all of our previous trips as a group, we’ve made a reservation at Restaurante Los Danzantes in centro. It’s…nice. And by “nice” I mean I’ve gotten the same dish every single time I’ve gone and the mezcal is expensive and thus far hasn’t been the greatest. I probably spoke more highly of it in past years, but what can I say? I thought the rest of our group liked it. Turns out not so much. But Empanadas Zenaida? Now that was a hit. So, damn it—we’re going there next week, too!
The Palenque of Daniel and Cosme Hernández
Upon arriving to San Baltazar Guelavila, there was an obvious first stop: the first palenque I’d ever been to. That of Daniel and Cosme Hernández, part of a 5 generation family of mezcal producers. For some years they have been working with the Convite mezcal brand.
With Cecilia and I were our Mezcal Maniac friends Barb Gushaw and Fred Collins, Surendra and Carolyn Kumar—and my buddy Alastair Wilcox who was living in Oaxaca at that time.
In addition to being greeted by Cosme, who else was there? Job! (Okay, it wasn’t a surprise. We’d made arrangements to meet him there.)
There was a time during which Job was, shall we say, playing an extended game of hide-and-seek with the US authorities—and for some years winning. That’s when he lived right here on the palenque, learning the ropes from Daniel and Cosme, and bringing folks like me there to taste, be delighted by and buy their magnificent distillations. Speaking of which, here’s what Cosme let us try:
-Ensamble de Tobalá/Coyote/Jabalí/Madrecuixe/Tepextate
-Jabalí (47%)
-Jabalí (51%)
-Coyote (and this was definitely Lyobaa)
-Pechuga de Pavo of Espadín y Frutas
-Espadín Capon
-Tepextate
-Ensamble de Sylvestres Añejo
Cecilia especially loved the fruity Pechuga and is still sipping on it these days. I picked up some of that Tepextate. Then, Job turned to Cosme and said, “You should let them try the Añejo.”.
“Añejo?” I winced. Most of us Mezcal Maniacs aren’t really in the market for these wood mellowed products. But I caught myself. See, in addition to hanging out with said maniacs, I’m introduced to dozens upon dozens of intermediate and newbie mezcal drinkers, and it’s very common for them to ask where the brown stuff is. Am I such a snob that I turn my nose up at them? Well, probably yes. But I thought it wouldn’t be such a terrible idea that I have something that appeals to their Scotchy/Bourbonistic palate. And it was a good move.
It seems Cosme has had a barrel going for 13 years in a bodega, and over those years he has simply dumped a distillation here and a distillation there, but all sylvestres, which basically means “no Espadín.” In the spirit of full disclosure, he explained how at least a few times over this period he did in fact drain some off to sell, but he’d just fill it up little-by-little afterward. So there’s certainly no recipe happening here. But if I were to ever want to buy a reposado or añejo again, this would be the one. No wimpy 38 percenter this; when I got home I pulled out my instruments—including thermometer: a nice, full 47.1%.
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish I’d bought more as it’s very nearly gone.
The Palenque of Don Goyo
When planning this trip and knowing we’d be in SB Guelavila, I knew I couldn’t miss a visit to see Don Goyo, Gregorio Martínez García, who has had a stellar reputation for making exquisite mezcal. But, as I’m sure you heard, Don Goyo died in October of 2023. 😢
I had been able to get in touch with his son, Eduardo, who invited us to come and try what he still had on hand. That included an Espadín, Espadín con Frutas, Cuixe, Madrecuixe, Tepextate, an ensamble of Espadín/Cuixe/Tepextate—and the very common Espadín con Cannabis.
I wasn’t the only one who felt it. It’s not that any of us had ever even met him before, but there was just a profound feeling of…stillness, darkness, sadness in the palenque that day. We sat for awhile, chatting with Eduardo, asking how the family had been; then we picked up some Espadín and Espadín con Frutas, and made our way to our next stop.
I won’t spend much time describing our visit to Los Ocotales. We’ve all had some very nice stuff from them over the years; most memorably for me their delicious Cerrudo and Jabalí! I’d also read an article in the Washington Post that spotlighted this company, and was surprised as I chatted on WhatsApp with Samuel Santiago the 31 year old son of this family, that he hadn’t been able to read it yet. So I sent him a series of screenshots allowing him to do just that. Samuel couldn’t be there that day, but he connected us with Danae who had some snacks and samples for us to try.
The thing is, as longtime residents of Mexico, we tend to buy a granel (in bulk) from smaller family producers, and I knew Los Ocotales was a bit of a larger operation that would just be offering their retail bottles. As well they should. So we all bought a bottle and were on our way—with more time than we ever could have expected.
Mezcal Shamia
Cecilia and I had met Rigoberto García of Mezcal Shamia at a Mezcal Pop-Up Fest near us in Queretaro. For me they were the highlight of that event, so I had them along with a couple of others on a short list of “backup palenques,” just in case we found ourselves with more time. I originally laughed at the idea, since such a thing had never happened before! But here we were, quite close to Shamia in San Dionisio Ocotepec at 4:30pm; so we popped over.
With this producer, owned by Crispin García Mendez known for the Geü Beez brand, I have only had a single distillation that I didn’t find heavenly, but this day none weren’t! There was an Espadín that Surendra found so good he snapped up a garrafon; also a San Martín and Tobalá/Espadín Ensamble. But for Cecilia and I two stood out…
Their Dia de Muertos was an Espadín infusion with two types of orange, apple, tejocote (another citrus fruit) and loaded with cempasuchil flowers (marigolds), which are are a classic emblem of Day of the Dead. Cecilia loved this one so much, I have made sure she has a goodly supply for what will no doubt be a few Dia de Muertos to come. Her daughter Ana Cristina, who routinely claims not to like mezcal, actually loves this one, recently asking me where it was. Ha! Indoctrinated another one! 😁
But the mezcal that made me go weak in the knees was their Pulquero. 😯 I have had several Pulqueros before, but have never been wowed until this one. Sometimes you find a distillation that’s hard to explain, but—and this is going to sound weird—it tastes like the pages of an old book in grandma’s attic. 😆 I know, I know, but I’m enchanted by it. In fact I’m squirreling away a bottle of it for our group to sip on our first night in Oaxaca this weekend.
So that was our second palenque day in Oaxaca last year. Four palenques in one day: no wonder I look so happy in the above photo with Rigoberto! There are times when you find a producer with so many fabulous mezcales that you realize (for whatever reason) they are a cut above. Sincerely, folks, I can’t recommend Mezcal Shamia more highly. Try to visit!
Next up: our visit to Placido Hernández of Espina Dorada Mezcal. Stay tuned!
Can’t help but read these missives in your voice Jonathan! 😂