In the tiny village of San Miguel Ejutla in the central valley of Oaxaca, a co-operative comprised of 36+ families (Integradora Comercial de Ejutla) is committed to sustainable, fair trade mezcal production the same way it’s been done by their ancestors for nearly two centuries. Underground wood-fired pits, donkey-pulled tahonas (stone-wheel mills), fermentation in wooden tanks and small-batch distillation in copper alembics punctuate a process that has been and remains the life’s work of these mezcaleros, with the same care and attention to detail reflected in each and every bottle.