Tepanal Mexicano is produced by mezcalero Rafael "Rafa" García Aragon in Santa María Sola de Vega, Oaxaca.
About this destilado de agave
Tepanal Mexicano is produced by mezcalero Rafael “Rafa” García Aragon in Santa María Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. The agaves are roasted in a pit oven, fermented for 5-7 days in cypress tanks with open air yeasts, milled by mechanical shredder, and double distilled in small clay pots.
Tepanal Agave Spirits
The name Tepanal comes from the Nahuatl word “Tepanaltepec,” which means “hill of honeycombs,” which was the name for Santa Maria Sola from the time of the Spanish conquest until 1915. Tepanal pays homage to the community and its history, where honey extraction was an important activity that the residents of Tepanaltepec implemented.
Rafael “Rafa” Garcia Aragon is a first generation mezcalero. Rafa emigrated to California but returned to Santa Maria Sola in 2008 and established his distillery, Palenque Escondido, in 2014. Rafa’s son, Jair Garcia, also became involved in the mezcal-making process, and, in 2019, at the age of 21, Jair immigrated to California to raise funds to start their mezcal brand. Along with Antonio Avendaño, they established Tepanal in May 2020.
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JDB
165 reviewsBatch MA2301 Bottle 54/168 49.5% ABV
This brand has been making a splash here in Southern California, getting some buzz with its high-quality, clay distilled mezcals. I have sampled the full lineup at a tasting at El Comal in Lake Elsinore and everything was really great. I picked up this bottle at El Cerrito liquor in Corona, CA.
New carpet, newly opened tennis balls, candy corn, wax, and denture cream on the nose – pretty crazy stuff.
Flavors are really powerful and delicious: honey breakfast cereal, light smoke, chewing gum, freshly baked sweet bread, roasted Anaheim chiles, toasted coffee, and toasted spices on the comal. There is an undertone of bitterness in addition to all of the sweet flavors. Really complex and inviting. Each sip reveals some other layer to this agave spirit. Ranks as one of the top mexicanos that I have sampled. I highly recommend this expression.
Batch MA2301 Bottle 54/168 49.5% ABV
This brand has been making a splash here in Southern California, getting some buzz with its high-quality, clay distilled mezcals. I have sampled the full lineup at a tasting at El Comal in Lake Elsinore and everything was really great. I picked up this bottle at El Cerrito liquor in Corona, CA.
New carpet, newly opened tennis balls, candy corn, wax, and denture cream on the nose – pretty crazy stuff.
Flavors are really powerful and delicious: ho