Los Danzantes

...is a group of restaurateurs that currently operates three restaurants in Mexico City and another in Oaxaca City. An hour's drive from there is the Destilería Los Danzantes in Santiago Matatlán. This distillery was purchased and remodeled in 1997, but without abandoning traditional and artisanal production. Initially, the Mezcal produced there was to be offered only in the restaurants, the sale to end customers and export arose later.

Los Danzantes was founded in 1995 and has been dedicated to a contemporary interpretation of traditional Mexican cuisine since a time when it was not trendy and hip. This has always included Mexican distilled spirits and wine. Ingredients were purchased locally and seasonally to support local suppliers. This philosophy is followed at the distillery as well: Agave is purchased from growers in the region, and the horse Sansón, which pulls the tahona, is rented from a neighbor. Jobs in bottling are filled by women, who thus have their own income and can work flexibly. Machine bottling is therefore deliberately avoided. The distillery is thus integrated into a locally adapted value-added process.

The classic line of Mezcal Los Danzantes consists of Espadín with one unaged (Joven) and two barrel-aged (Reposado and Añejo) variants. In addition, a Pechuga and some varietal spirits are made (Arroqueño, Sierra Negra, Tobalá). And depending on the availability of raw material, limited special bottlings, some of which are agave blends.

The peculiarity of Destillería Los Danzantes is the combination of traditional methods with a modern technical approach. The distillery has its own laboratory and always carries out experimental productions. At the same time, the work is strictly traditional and artisanal. With Karina Abad Rojas, the Los Danzantes distillery not only has a female boss, she is also a trained biochemist. In addition, the owners of Mezcal Los Danzantes have a gastronomic approach, which is clearly different from a purely entrepreneurial one. The product, its creation and taste are the focus, not marketing.

Another project of Los Danzantes is Mezcal Alipús. This umbrella brand unites traditional distillers from different regions of Oaxaca. It is a social project with no significant income for the brand owners.

Alle Mezcal Alipús in SHOP