Maestro ‘Don Catarino’ Hernández is a first generation mezcalero with over 50 years of experience in artisanal mezcal production. Currently, he oversees the mezcal production with a very watchful eye, which is done mostly now by his eldest son Felipe given the heavy manual work required. The palenque is in San Jerónimo Taviche, Oaxaca perched in the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur, southwest Mexico. The palenque itself is very small and rustic, mastered by the hands of Don Catarino and entrusted to his son to become the next generation of Mezcalero.

The agaves are pit roasted, milled manually by hand and wooden mallet, then fermented in Sabino wood vats before being distilled in traditional copper alembic stills. Maguey Cuishe is an agave that is endemic to dry regions of Oaxaca, harvested mostly from wild populations, it is commonly used as fences, due to its elongated form & and its prickled razor like leaves that make great resistance. The yield is 1L of mezcal per 20 kgs of Agave, with the agave reaching its maturity at 10 to 14 years.