Few mezcals carry the quiet authority of Real Minero, a family-made spirit from the mountain village of Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca, where master distiller Edgar Angeles Carreno has turned ancient technique into something genuinely extraordinary.

Crafted by the Angeles family using small clay pot stills and wild fermentation in open wooden vats, this mezcal follows a three-distillation process in which a chicken breast is suspended above the still and local fruits are added to the liquid, a method that deepens body and complexity in ways that are almost impossible to replicate at scale. Agave is sustainably grown, and select expressions rest in glass bottles through a process known as maduro en vidrio, which softens and rounds the final profile without introducing any outside influence.

• Nose: Warm and inviting, with hints of roasted agave, dried fruit, and a subtle earthiness native to the Oaxacan highlands
• Palate: Full-bodied and almost honeyed in texture, with notes of roasted summer barbecue, dried fruits, and fresh apple weaving together in generous layers
• Finish: Long, smooth, and gently sweet, with a rounded softness that lingers well past the last sip

The richness and depth of Real Minero mezcal make it a natural choice for a Oaxacan Old Fashioned or a Mezcal Sour, where its layered fruit and roasted character can take center stage without being lost in the mix.

Best enjoyed neat or over a single large ice cube to let the full profile open up; a distinguished expression of traditional Oaxacan mezcal from Santa Catarina Minas, made the way it has always been made.