Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
You can skip ahead, but you’ll miss a lot of great information along the way!
Shortcuts/Timecodes:
0:00 – Intros
2:15 – Derrumbes Nosing
3:36 – Derrumbes Tasting
4:48 – El Jolgorio Nosing
6:02 – El Jolgorio Tasting
8:40 – Ultramundo Nosing
10:15 – Ultramundo Tasting
Derrumbes “Durango” ($70) is bottled at 92 proof and is named after the state of Durango which is the most north-eastern state in the Mezcal DO area. It’s known for its wild but abundant Agave Durangensis, known locally as Cenizo ("ash", because of the color). Maestro Mezcalero Uriel Simental follows the traditional method of production, using a horno de tierra (“earthen oven”), tahona wheel crushing, natural fermentation, and small-scale distillation in copper pot stills.
El Jolgorio “Mexicano” Mezcal ($115-$125) is bottled at proof. The line gets its name from the rituals, ceremonies and festivities - known as jolgorios - in the rural and indigenous Zapotec villages of Oaxaca, Mexico. The “Mexicano” part refers to the Agave Mexicano, a rare varietal of Karwinskii that prefers to grow in moist areas, at lower elevations, and is very long-lived, with highly concentrated sugars. Once the agaves have been harvested, the heart of the plant (piñas) are cooked for several days in large, earthen pits lined with hot stones, and then crushed under the weight of a Tahona (a massive lava rock wheel), usually drawn by a horse or burro in rural village/family ran palenques (mezcal distillery). After the piñas are crushed, the pulp is placed in a large wooden vat, together with ambient yeast, in order to begin fermentation. After several days, expert mezcaleros determine by taste, smell and sight when the wash is ready for distillation. The mezcaleros distill it through traditional hand-made copper stills that are heated over wooden fires. The journey from the fields to bottle is long and arduous, but every step is conducted with the careful attention and pride necessary to produce a complex and delicious mezcal.
Ultramundo “Lamparillo” ($135-$160) Mezcal is bottled at 94 proof and produced exclusively with wild Lamparillo (A. Asperrima) from 24,000-acre Pelayo Ranch in Mapimi, Durango. COOKING: The pinas are cooked underground, in a volcanic stone-lined pit oven with mesquite and pine firewood for three days. FERMENTATION: Wild, ambient yeast in open-air, in-ground, oak-lined wells for two to three days (depending on season). AGAVE: 100% Maguey Lamparillo (A. Asperrima) matured around 15 years before being 100% capóned (the flowering stem or quiote is cut just as it begins to grow) and then left in the field for 3 to 10 additional months before harvesting. Initially dedicated to the breeding of stallions in a regenerative livestock system, Pelayo Ranch is home to a great biodiversity of endemic flora and fauna. The cows, along with the deer and wild boars, participate in the mezcal process - about 15% of the agaves we harvest have been capóned by the hungry animals in this semi-arid ecosystem. The peculiar electromagnetic and radioactive characteristics of the area have led to a wide variety of outlandish stories. Many people believe this place is a sort of portal or window to The Ultramundo (The Overworld).
As of October 2024, my current bottle count is over 2,900. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for three decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, I’m super proud to announce that my “Saints Alley “Nobleman” Rye Whiskey was named “Best American Rye” at the 2024 World Whisky Awards (Batch 4 should arrive in Total Wines the 1st week of November)! But until then, don’t forget that our other Bourbons have also won multiple big awards and are on Total Wine shelves now! Our Flagship Port & Cognac just got a Double Platinum at Fred Minnick's 2024 Ascot Awards, and "The Herald” our Armagnac finished Bourbon took a Double Gold at the Whiskies of the World competition! Given my decades of consumer/reviewer experience, you know I’m working hard to continue bringing you great whiskeys! Thanks for watching & please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!
You can skip ahead, but you’ll miss a lot of great information along the way!
Shortcuts/Timecodes:
0:00 – Intros
2:15 – Derrumbes Nosing
3:36 – Derrumbes Tasting
4:48 – El Jolgorio Nosing
6:02 – El Jolgorio Tasting
8:40 – Ultramundo Nosing
10:15 – Ultramundo Tasting
Derrumbes “Durango” ($70) is bottled at 92 proof and is named after the state of Durango which is the most north-eastern state in the Mezcal DO area. It’s known for its wild but abundant Agave Durangensis, known locally as Cenizo ("ash", because of the color). Maestro Mezcalero Uriel Simental follows the traditional method of production, using a horno de tierra (“earthen oven”), tahona wheel crushing, natural fermentation, and small-scale distillation in copper pot stills.
El Jolgorio “Mexicano” Mezcal ($115-$125) is bottled at proof. The line gets its name from the rituals, ceremonies and festivities - known as jolgorios - in the rural and indigenous Zapotec villages of Oaxaca, Mexico. The “Mexicano” part refers to the Agave Mexicano, a rare varietal of Karwinskii that prefers to grow in moist areas, at lower elevations, and is very long-lived, with highly concentrated sugars. Once the agaves have been harvested, the heart of the plant (piñas) are cooked for several days in large, earthen pits lined with hot stones, and then crushed under the weight of a Tahona (a massive lava rock wheel), usually drawn by a horse or burro in rural village/family ran palenques (mezcal distillery). After the piñas are crushed, the pulp is placed in a large wooden vat, together with ambient yeast, in order to begin fermentation. After several days, expert mezcaleros determine by taste, smell and sight when the wash is ready for distillation. The mezcaleros distill it through traditional hand-made copper stills that are heated over wooden fires. The journey from the fields to bottle is long and arduous, but every step is conducted with the careful attention and pride necessary to produce a complex and delicious mezcal.
Ultramundo “Lamparillo” ($135-$160) Mezcal is bottled at 94 proof and produced exclusively with wild Lamparillo (A. Asperrima) from 24,000-acre Pelayo Ranch in Mapimi, Durango. COOKING: The pinas are cooked underground, in a volcanic stone-lined pit oven with mesquite and pine firewood for three days. FERMENTATION: Wild, ambient yeast in open-air, in-ground, oak-lined wells for two to three days (depending on season). AGAVE: 100% Maguey Lamparillo (A. Asperrima) matured around 15 years before being 100% capóned (the flowering stem or quiote is cut just as it begins to grow) and then left in the field for 3 to 10 additional months before harvesting. Initially dedicated to the breeding of stallions in a regenerative livestock system, Pelayo Ranch is home to a great biodiversity of endemic flora and fauna. The cows, along with the deer and wild boars, participate in the mezcal process - about 15% of the agaves we harvest have been capóned by the hungry animals in this semi-arid ecosystem. The peculiar electromagnetic and radioactive characteristics of the area have led to a wide variety of outlandish stories. Many people believe this place is a sort of portal or window to The Ultramundo (The Overworld).
As of October 2024, my current bottle count is over 2,900. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for three decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, I’m super proud to announce that my “Saints Alley “Nobleman” Rye Whiskey was named “Best American Rye” at the 2024 World Whisky Awards (Batch 4 should arrive in Total Wines the 1st week of November)! But until then, don’t forget that our other Bourbons have also won multiple big awards and are on Total Wine shelves now! Our Flagship Port & Cognac just got a Double Platinum at Fred Minnick's 2024 Ascot Awards, and "The Herald” our Armagnac finished Bourbon took a Double Gold at the Whiskies of the World competition! Given my decades of consumer/reviewer experience, you know I’m working hard to continue bringing you great whiskeys! Thanks for watching & please remember to drink responsibly. Cheers!
