Lovingly selected premium artisanal mezcals hand- distilledin family distilleries in rural pueblos in the state of Oaxaca,in southwest Mexico. Alipús pueblos are remote, reached only on dirt roads. Small artisanal distilleries preserve – uncorrupted – the traditional centuries-old ways of distilling mezcal. These family distilleries are very old-fashioned operations. Some still lack stone mills, and crush the roasted agaves by hand, using long-handled wooden mallets, in canoas, hollowed out logs; others distill in potstills made from clay. The process is slow and labor- intensive. The process is tied into the agave itself, tied into the pueblo where the mezcal is distilled, tied into local and regional methods handed down for generations.