Rey Campero "Espadin" Mezcal 750ml

Rey Campero is the mezcal project of maestro mezcalero Rómulo Sánchez Parada, who grew up learning the craft from his father in Candelaria Yegolé, a small town in Zoquitlán, within Oaxaca's Sierra Sur. He worked at the family palenque until he was twenty, then spent several years living and working in North Carolina before returning to Oaxaca in 2003 to take up the trade full time. Rey Campero, meaning "King of the Countryside," now operates as a family collective committed to supporting local maguey growers by creating jobs and finding markets for their best mezcal.

This bottling is made from Espadín, botanically Agave angustifolia, the most widely planted and adaptable agave used in mezcal production, typically maturing over seven to ten years. The harvested piñas are cooked underground for several days, then rested before being crushed on a traditional stone tahona. The crushed fiber ferments naturally in open-air wooden vats with wild ambient yeast for up to twelve days, followed by double distillation in small copper pot stills. Many batches also spend time resting in glass before bottling, softening the spirit's edges.

The nose carries sweet agave and tropical fruit, papaya and coconut alongside a touch of whipped cream. On the palate, fruit and heat give way to pronounced minerality and salinity, with baking spice and stone fruit like apricot and plum. The finish settles into minerals, light smoke, and a whisper of pine.