#DISCOVERYOURCHULELE
Our artisanal mezcal tells a unique story. Uncork a bottle to release all we captured during creation
The Día de los Muertos celebration dates back 3,000 years. An indigenous festival first observed by the Aztec and Nahual peoples
With the arrival of the Spanish, the festival was later moved to closely correspond with the Catholic calendar, which celebrates All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day.
The first day is Día de los Angelitos, or “Day of the Little Angels.” It is dedicated to children who passed away. For this day, families of the departed child create an ofrenda that is often decorated with the departed child’s favorite candies and toys.
The second day is called Día de los Difuntos, which translates directly to “Day of the Deceased,” and is dedicated to honouring adults who have passed away
This year’s Día de los Muertos festival resonated with noticeably higher energy and significance as the Oaxacan people were finally released from the pandemic lockdown and able to celebrate this beautiful holiday with all their hearts and souls. The dead are the guests of honor, and they had been waiting for three full years for their invitation to return to the streets. Emotion and elation could be felt throughout the center of Oaxaca City and the entire state. This essence, climate and unique environment can all be tasted in our first Día de los Muertos batch of Chulele® artisanal mezcal.
SINGLE BATCH RELEASE
Uncork this bottle and allow the aroma to teleport you to the moment it was crafted in Oaxaca. Taste the unique flavors of this artisanal mezcal created during the 2022 Día de los Muertos celebration. The air thick with the smell of marigolds and cock’s comb flowers, delicious food cooking, and sounds of music, laughter and activity.
Our single-batch release of Chulele® artisanal mezcal handcrafted in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico celebrates and embodies the 2022 Día de los Muertos festival. Everything happening, whether spiritual or environmental, has helped Maestro Mezcalero Tomás Mendéz create this unique distillation. This spirit has a bold nose and flavor yet simultaneously offers a gentle, comforting essence. Only 1250 bottles of this special mezcal were produced, with only 1,200 bottles released for purchase.
Our oven was prepared on the day following the harvest. Our group of men have expertly built many of these ovens, so they know exactly what to do. The building of the fire began at around 6am on October 28th. Once the fire was sufficiently hot, it was covered in volcanic rocks. These special rocks held the heat that cooked our maguey and converted the carbohydrates to natural sugars. For this batch, the cooking time took four days. We removed the soil on October 31st, revealing the caramel brown and perfectly cooked magueys.After getting a day to cool, the agave was then chopped up and moved into the palenque for crushing. Israel and Isabella the horse worked as a team using the tahona to crush and convert the agave into a fibrous paste. This process took about 4 hours. Israel then moved the paste by wheelbarrow and loaded it into the fermentation vats.
The fermentation process started on November 2nd and completed on November 9th. It took 7 days, which is a little longer than usual. The nights were extremely cool reaching temperatures as low as 48F on the first day of fermentation. Mezcal fermentation uses wild yeast that are present in the environment. This batch was heavily influenced by the elements present during the Day of the Dead festival, including the flowers grown nearby for the two day celebration. Marigold and Cockscomb are used to decorate the many altars and graves during this most important Mexican holiday. The natural and supernatural elements that were present during Día de los Muertos have made this mezcal a unique experience.
On November 9th, Luis Jímenez our mezcal formulator, tested the vats and determined the fermented mash had reached the optimum alcohol level. He then moved the mezcal juice to the copper stills that had been carefully prepared and sealed using a local clay called barro. The stills are heated using a wood fire that had been carefully prepared to provide even heat and power the distillation process.
Our final distillation took place on November 23rd. The same copper distillation pots were again used to distill and purify the mezcal. This second distillation removed all of the impurities and raised the alcohol level. After the second distillation, the pure mezcal reached an ABV of more than 53%.
All of this hard work, passion and artisanal craftsmanship has created this special bottle that we know you will love to sip alone or share until its very last delicious drop.
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This batch of Chulele® artisanal mezcal was lovingly crafted during the 2022 Día de los Muertos festival.
Daytime temperatures ranged from a high of 84F on the day of harvest to a nighttime low of 46F on the day the oven was opened and the perfectly cooked agave allowed to rest. Cooler nights (temperatures ranging from 46F to 57F) resulted in the fermentation process taking 7 days – a little longer than usual. The days and nights were dry, with no precipitation.
Our Día de los Muertos 2022 single-batch release was hand-crafted using artisanal mezcal-making methods from October 25 to November 23, 2022
COMMUNITY OF SANTIAGO MATATLÁN
More than anything, the flavor notes & aromas emanate from the Oaxacan people who live with an energy to love & create art
The community and town of Santiago Matatlan is small, but the center of the mezcal world. Over 80% of all mezcal comes from this region. The people here are all connected to mezcal production in some way. Always with respect for what God has provided and for the traditions passed down from their fore fathers.
In the Mexico national census of 2020, the population of Santiago Matatlán was 10,175 inhabitants (46.3% men and 53.7% women). A small community that continues the customs of making their mezcal in both the artisanal and ancestral ways. The people of Matatlan have deep connections to their indigenous roots with over 8,000 residents speaking their traditional indigenous language and a majority of them speaking Zapoteco. They also continue to cook and create artisanal crafts in the way that their ancestors have done for milennia. This the reason Oaxaca and this area are so special. The people are proud to speak the language and honor their food, music and traditional way of life.
Maestro Mezcalero
Tomás Mendéz Hernandez
Glass type:
Flute glass
Temperature:
20°C
Aspect:
Colorless
Aroma:
Ripe fruit
Cinnamon
Gentle smokiness
Flavor:
Balanced
Slightly dry and astringent
Soft citrus notes (mandarine or orange peel)
Aftertaste:
Roasted plantain
Glass type:
Flute glass
Temperature:
20°C
Aspect:
Colorless
Aroma:
Ripe fruit
Cinnamon
Gentle smokiness
Flavor:
Balanced
Slightly dry and astringent
Soft citrus notes (mandarine or orange peel)
Aftertaste:
Roasted plantain
MAESTRO MEZCALERO
Tomás Mendez Hernandéz
MEZCALEROS
Luis Jímenez
Israel Morales
AGAVE HARVEST
Luis Jímenez
Israel Morales
Laureano Blas Diaz
Lauro Blas Martinez
Carlos Blas Martinez
Angel Blas Martinez
Maurilio
OVEN PREP & COOKING
Carlos Blas Martinez
Laureano Blas Diaz
Lauro Blas Martinez
Angel Blas Martinez
Luis Jimenez
Israel Morales
AGAVE CRUSHING
Israel Morales
Isabella
FERMENTATION
Luis Jímenez
Israel Morales
FIRST & SECOND DISTILLATION
Luis Jímenez
BOTTLING
Karla Joseline Hernández Bautista
Briseyda García Ruiz
José Orlando Rivas Rivera
Benito Hernández Rafael
Elizabeth Hernández Bautista
Alonso López Raymundo
MAESTRO MEZCALERO
Tomás Mendez Hernandéz
AGAVE HARVEST
Luis Jímenez
Israel Morales
Laureano Blas Diaz
Lauro Blas Martinez
Carlos Blas Martinez
Angel Blas Martinez
Maurilio
Oven & Agave Preparation
Carlos Blas Martinez
Laureano Blas Diaz
Lauro Blas Martinez
Angel Blas Martinez
Luis Jimenez
Israel Morales
Tahona – Cooked Agave Milling
Israel Morales
Fermentation
Israel Morales
Luis Jímenez
BOTTLING
Karla Joseline Hernández Bautista
Briseyda García Ruiz
José Orlando Rivas Rivera
Benito Hernández Rafael
Elizabeth Hernández Bautista
Alonso López Raymundo
We are working on our next exciting Chulele® single-batch release. Be the first to know when these rare bottles are available for purchase.
Espadín Joven Artisanal Mezcal 51.3%
1,250 bottles produced
Espadín Joven Artisanal Mezcal 50.4%
250 bottles produced
