Cupreata (750 ml)

Agave cupreata — known locally as papalometl — grows wild across the rugged Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero, a state that produces mezcal under its own distinct tradition entirely separate from Oaxaca's more familiar valleys. Macheatazo sources these wild plants from high-elevation hillsides where thin, rocky soils and dramatic diurnal temperature swings concentrate sugars slowly over the agave's long maturation cycle.

Production follows ancestral Guerreran method: the piñas are pit-roasted in an earthen horno, imparting the smoke character that defines the spirit, then crushed and open-air fermented in wooden vats using only ambient wild yeasts — no inoculation, no temperature control. Distillation is carried out in small copper pot stills, preserving the raw, mineral-driven character of the wild plant material.

What sets cupreata apart within the mezcal world is its species rarity: unlike espadin, it cannot be cultivated at scale, making every batch contingent on wild harvest and the slow rhythms of the Guerrero sierra. The result is a mezcal with pronounced roasted agave fiber, volcanic minerality, and a smoke register that is present but never dominant over the plant itself.