Montelobos is an artisanal mezcal made in Santiago Matatlán Oaxaca produced with 100% organically certified agave espadín. Ivan Saldana, one of the leading international experts in the agave world and author of the book Mezcal Anatomy, is the current mind behind the company.
The agave used in the production of Montelobos is grown by the Lopez family at the base of Montelobos (Wolves Mountain) in Sierra Madre. After a period of growth of the plant of at least 10 years, the harvest is carried out by hand by means of machetes. The mature plants are selected based on the colour at the base of the pine cone. The agave is then transported to the palenque to start cooking in the traditional underground stone ovens, for 4-5 days.
The fermentation of the resulting aguamiel (water honey) takes place in open-air pot basins, with the exclusive use of indigenous yeasts, for an average duration of about a week, slightly lower than the average of other mezcal to create their unique flavour. The resulting fermented liquid, called tepache, undergoes a double distillation in a copper pot still.
Their tequilas are unaged (joven) and consist of Espadin, Ensamble, Tobala, with another Pechuga to be released soon.
