Dear friend of fine spirits,
ALIPUS, bottled at the Los Danzantes distillery in Santiago Matatlan, is Mexico’s best-selling authentically artisan mezcal. It is produced in limited amounts, and we are fortunate to obtain enough of it to sell into the USA market. It is fabulous, fabulous product. I have been, with real pleasure, to all three of the distilleries, any of them a 2- 2 1/2 hour drive from Oaxaca City. When Jaimé Muñoz and I visited San Andrés, we got lost, passing the same funeral procession 3 times.
Alipus is a wonderful demonstration of what’s special about artisan distillation. Each distiller has his own way of approaching the delicate task of purifying and focusing the flavors and aromas he’s extracting from roasted and fermented mature agaves. In addition, you can also recognize the influence of soil and altitude as expressed through the classic agave species espadín(genetic ancestor of tequila’s agave weber).
Alipus artisan mezcals are distilled from agave espadín by the same tiny family distilleries who supply the Mezcalero bottlings (the difference being that Mezcalero batches are distilled from wild/semi-wild agaves).
The Germain-Robin single barrel Muscat is the best seller of the four we now have listed. Its Muscat intensity is not for everyone, but it is great, great brandy.
Ansley Coale