Dixeebe is a long-awaited project from the Cortes and Hernandez families, 5th generation Mezcaleros from Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca. This project aims to protect and cultivate the culture of Mezcal that has existed for centuries in the Oaxacan Sierras. Love, gratitude and respect are pillars of the project. Each product produced by Dixeebe is made to honour tradition, and ensure that these Mezcales will be protected for future generations to enjoy.

Agaves are only selected at the height of maturity, and the only decisions around production are driven by quality, not any commercial considerations, demand or volume. They only seek to produce the best quality Mezcal they can, regardless of market influence.

Once a year, Valentin Cortes produces a very small batch of this very special liquid. Espadin ‘ordinario’ is added to the still with bananas, guava, pinepapple, oranges, apple, prunes and turkey meat all hung in the still. The second distillation sees vapours pass through the protein and fruits to infuse the spirit with layered tropical and herbal flavours. The spirit is bottled around 50%.

Agave Angustifolia is harvested at 7 Years for optimal sugars and complexity. Pit-cooked underground with volcanic stones for 7 days. Cooked Agaves are crushed using a mule-pulled tahona.

Fermentation occurs over 5 days and is activated with wild airborne yeast in open topped wooden cask with agave fibres. Distilled twice in copper stills limited to micro batches of 200L. The first distillation is done with Agave fibres to extract deeper complexity.

On the second distillation turkey meat is hung in the still, and the addition of apple, banana, guava, pineapple, orange and prune is made. A 12-15kg Agave Angustifolia will yield approx 1 litre of finished Mezcal after 7 years in the ground.