Tepanal Ancestral Mexicanito Prizefighter Private Batch

48.6% ABV

Mezcal from Sola de Vega in the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca. Sola de Vega, along with the village of Santa Catarina Minas, are 2 of the best known places for "Ancestral" Mezcal production. This is the most traditional, ancient method of mezcal distillation that involves mashing the cooked agaves by hand with wooden mallets and distillation in "barro de olla" clay pot stills. 

The brand takes its name from Tepanaltepec (land of honeycombs), the name for Sola de Vega in the indigenous Nahuatl language. We had the great fortune of visiting their palenque in early 2026 where we selected this very special batch. The palenque sits at 1400 meters above sea level in an arid canyon with a large stream that flows from several natural springs in the area, creating a verdant tree-filled environment next to their facility. Mexicanito is a regional name for a type of Agave Rhodacantha that is endemic in the area. 

The agaves are pit roasted in a conical oven, chopped with machete and crushed with a mechanical shredder. The mash is fermented with spring water and ambient yeasts in wooden "tinas" or open top Montezuma cypress vats. It is double distilled in clay pots and proofed to "Maestro's strength" using "puntas y colas" or the heads and tails of the distillation. It's a tiny batch of just 24 bottles. At 55%, it's not quite a Puntas (the higher alcohol, intensely flavored early part of the distillation, somewhere between the heads and the heart), but it's not far off. We've tasted many batches at roughly this proof at palenques with the Maestros as it's often an alcoholic strength that they enjoy. 

This is a delightful batch of Mexicanito! A touch of lactic funk on the nose makes way for lemon rind, roasty agave notes, and tropical fruits. On the palate, it has an oily texture and some alcoholic and flavor intensity! But it's not remotely overwhelming, and the second sip your palate adjusts and it drinks extremely easily. More roasty agave, toast, tropical fruits, and a long finish.