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SHOP
︎︎︎Batch No. 1 - Ensamble
Yaha-Yahui - Organic Mezcal is a well-nuanced organic and artesanal spirit made with four different agaves: Arroqueño, Mexicano, Tobalá, and Espadín. This ensamble Mezcal comes with the lingering taste of deep sweetness, citric fruits and a soft smokiness combined with a warm earthy note.
Shop our first Batch No. 1 - Ensamble
Batch No.1 - Ensamble (700ml)
Batch No.1 - Ensamble (250ml)
Each Agave Variety is Different
We use four different agaves for our Mezcal - all with distinct characteristics, life cycles, and flavours.
Arroqueño
Age to maturity: 20-30 years
Size: Up to 3 meters
Availability: Rare
Flavors: Chocolate, sweetness, ripe fruits
Mexicano
Age to maturity: 8-11 years
Size: Up to 3.5 meters
Availability: Widespread
Flavors: Honey, floral
Age to maturity: 20-30 years
Size: Up to 3 meters
Availability: Rare
Flavors: Chocolate, sweetness, ripe fruits
Mexicano
Age to maturity: 8-11 years
Size: Up to 3.5 meters
Availability: Widespread
Flavors: Honey, floral
Tobalá
Age to maturity: 12-15 years
Size: Up to 60 cm
Availability: Rare
Flavors: Herbs, wood, minerals
Espadín
Age to maturity: 7-8 years
Size: Up to 2 meters
Availability: Widespread
Flavors: Fruity, citric, spicy and earthy
Age to maturity: 12-15 years
Size: Up to 60 cm
Availability: Rare
Flavors: Herbs, wood, minerals
Espadín
Age to maturity: 7-8 years
Size: Up to 2 meters
Availability: Widespread
Flavors: Fruity, citric, spicy and earthy
OUR MEZCAL
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Our Maestros Mezcaleros
Yaha-Yahui - Organic Mezcal has its roots in the family heritage of the two Maestros Mezcaleros Engracia Altamirano Montaño and her cousin Jose Manuel Lopez Montaño. Both grew up in a family with a deeply rooted tradition of making Mezcal and have developed a passionate relationship with this spirit.Seeing the consequences of an increasingly industrialized production they have made it their goal to make their process as sustainable as possible and in the same time keep traditional techniques alive. The result is a beautiful organic and artesanal Mezcal.
Ensamble as a Tradition
Traditionally, agaves, or as they are called in Mexico magueys, are sacred plants used by indigenous people for essentials such as medicine, food, alcoholic beverages, and even textiles. This is why Mezcal was always produced with great care. For centuries, the Maestros Mezcaleros have carefully selected a mix of different wild magueys - only what nature offered them - creating ensambles, a mix of various magueys.
Our organic Mezcal re-establishes this traditional and artisanal approach. In the mountains of Oaxaca, in Santa Maria Sola de Vega our Maestro Mezcalero cultivates semi-wild agaves and adapts his recipe to what nature offers. By doing so, each batch is a truly unique spirit with a distinct flavor palate.
Single variety Mezcal was occasionally produced in the past, but became quite popular in the 90s and is the most common form of Mezcal these days. While single variety Mezcals focus on the taste profile of the individual magueys ensamble Mezcals create a unique flavor profile differentiating from recipe to recipe.
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Our organic Mezcal re-establishes this traditional and artisanal approach. In the mountains of Oaxaca, in Santa Maria Sola de Vega our Maestro Mezcalero cultivates semi-wild agaves and adapts his recipe to what nature offers. By doing so, each batch is a truly unique spirit with a distinct flavor palate.
Single variety Mezcal was occasionally produced in the past, but became quite popular in the 90s and is the most common form of Mezcal these days. While single variety Mezcals focus on the taste profile of the individual magueys ensamble Mezcals create a unique flavor profile differentiating from recipe to recipe.
PRODUCTION
︎︎Yaha-Yahui - Organic Mezcal is produced within the artesanal tradition - all made by hand without the help of modern machinery and 100% natural.
Harvest
The maguey (agave) is a unique plant. It only blooms once in its lifetime and it may take decades (up to 35 years) of growth to come to this state. The magueys need to be cut just before blooming as that is the time when the piña (the heart) reaches its highest sugar level. At this point, the piñas are very heavy. In our first batch, we saw piñas weighing more than 340kg.
The harvest itself requires lots of manpower and in our case the help of a horse to carry these heavy plants from the place of harvest to the palenque, where the actual Mezcal production is taking place.
The harvest itself requires lots of manpower and in our case the help of a horse to carry these heavy plants from the place of harvest to the palenque, where the actual Mezcal production is taking place.
Roasting
In order to be able to unfold the sugars within the magueyes, the piñas need to be cooked. For artesanal Mezcal this is done in a traditional earth oven pit. The Maestros Mezcaleros start a fire in the bottom of the pit and cover it gently with stones, which protects the magueys from being burnt. Then the harvested agaves are layered on top of the stones, which are then covered with petates (mats made from palm leaves) and soil. For our Batch No. 1 - Yaha-Yahui the magueys were cooked for 3 days.
Roasting is crucial - as in this stage some of the deepest aromas such as the Mezcal’s distinct smokiness are developed.
Shredding & Milling
After the roasting, the piñas need to be shredded. First, the cooked agave hearts are cut into small pieces by hand, using axes and machetes. After that, the pieces of agave are milled with a giant stone wheel, called a tahona, which is turned by our Maestros horse Apocalypto.
The milling is a very labor-intensive and tiresome work that takes up to 2 days.
The milling is a very labor-intensive and tiresome work that takes up to 2 days.
Fermentation
The most decisive part of the production process is the fermentation of the agave fibers, where the sugars are turned into alcohol.
During this step, all the flavors of the Mezcal are developed and finalized. The fibers and water are placed in large, open wooden barrels and left to ferment fully naturally with indigenous and wild yeast for 8 to 16 days - a timespan that is significantly longer than in the conventional production of fermented alcoholic beverages.
Finding the right moment to end the fermentation process is crucial. If the fibers are fermented for too long the flavors and depth of aromas change and will reduce the quality of the final product. Hence, during this stage of production, the Maestros Mezcaleros and their team need to be ready day and night to be able to quickly start the distillation process.
During this step, all the flavors of the Mezcal are developed and finalized. The fibers and water are placed in large, open wooden barrels and left to ferment fully naturally with indigenous and wild yeast for 8 to 16 days - a timespan that is significantly longer than in the conventional production of fermented alcoholic beverages.
Finding the right moment to end the fermentation process is crucial. If the fibers are fermented for too long the flavors and depth of aromas change and will reduce the quality of the final product. Hence, during this stage of production, the Maestros Mezcaleros and their team need to be ready day and night to be able to quickly start the distillation process.
Distillation
The last stage of the production process is the distillation itself. Here the mash (the fermented agave fibers and the fermentation liquid) is distilled using an alembic copper still. This process requires the Maestros Mezcaleros a rich skillset and in-depth knowledge.
First, the separation of the distillation product - meaning cutting off the puntas (head) and colas (tail) from the Mezcal - will define the quality, bouquet, and taste profile of the spirit. Knowing when to cut-off and is depending on expertise and feeling.
Secondly, to be able to cut the puntas and colas properly, steady temperatures are needed. Since, in the artesanal production method, wood fire is used to heat up the still, creating a stable production environment is very challenging.
In order to achieve a clean and high-quality spirit, our Mezcal is distilled twice.
First, the separation of the distillation product - meaning cutting off the puntas (head) and colas (tail) from the Mezcal - will define the quality, bouquet, and taste profile of the spirit. Knowing when to cut-off and is depending on expertise and feeling.
Secondly, to be able to cut the puntas and colas properly, steady temperatures are needed. Since, in the artesanal production method, wood fire is used to heat up the still, creating a stable production environment is very challenging.
In order to achieve a clean and high-quality spirit, our Mezcal is distilled twice.
SUSTAINABILITY
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Our Values
We make organic Mezcal because we believe that our business must go hand-in-hand with nature - preserving the land we have. Our Mezcal is 100% natural and always will be.
Mezcal Boom
In recent years, Mezcal has experienced a huge boom in demand and producers have reacted to it with over-harvesting agaves, monocultural farming, and industrial mass production. These developments have drastic effects on the environment because in order to keep up with demand a substantial amount of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are being used.
Our Approach
With our organic Mezcal, we are taking a stance against such practices. All our production processes are entirely natural. From the cultivation of magueyes, through the production process we fully abstain from any additives or chemical treatments.
Moreover, our Maestros Mezcaleros raise semi-wild agaves such as the rare Arroqueños from seeds, which leads to stronger and more diverse plants and the restoration of scarce agaves. The focus on restoration is not only limited to the agaves themselves but to the whole ecosystem in the area, where the natural habitat such as the forests are allowed to interact with the cultivation and production of Mezcal.
Moreover, our Maestros Mezcaleros raise semi-wild agaves such as the rare Arroqueños from seeds, which leads to stronger and more diverse plants and the restoration of scarce agaves. The focus on restoration is not only limited to the agaves themselves but to the whole ecosystem in the area, where the natural habitat such as the forests are allowed to interact with the cultivation and production of Mezcal.
1% for the Community
With our product, we also want to give back to the local community. Therefore, we will support social projects for the community, schools, and sustainable agriculture in the region of Santa Maria Sola de Vega. 1% of our yearly sales will be used to cover these projects.
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ABOUT US
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Our Mission
Yaha-Yahui - Organic Mezcal was created to bring the essence of Mezcal and Mexican culture to Europe and at the same time preserve the century-old traditions associated with this wonderful spirit and the environment on a local level.We devote all our effort to creating a truly unique, flavorful, and organic product. It is crafted by hand with the utmost respect for the land and traditions while also caring for the community of Santa Maria Sola de Vega, a small village in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Yaha-Yahui
Our name Yaha-Yahui refers to a mystical and powerful figure of the Mixtec civilization. He was a chief ruler and high priest with supernatural features and was deeply respected for his ability to transform into any desired living being or natural phenomena. We incorporate this mysticism within our Mezcal, which has the reputation to transform the lives of those who consume it. As the famous Mexican saying goes: “Mezcal doesn’t create, neither destroys, it only transforms.”