a palenque is the traditional distillery where artisanal mezcal is made. It is usually a family space, open-air or roofed, with four areas: the oven where agave piñas are cooked, the mill, the fermentation vats and the stills. It is run by the maestro mezcalero, who decides each step by experience.
Where does the word come from?
In Oaxaca the place where mezcal is made is called a palenque; other regions say fábrica, vinata or taberna. They all mean the same workspace.
What is inside a palenque?
| Area | What happens | Typical tools |
|---|---|---|
| Oven | Cooking the agave piñas | Pit or stone oven, firewood |
| Milling | Crushing the cooked agave | Tahona (stone wheel), mallet or shredder |
| Fermentation | Turning sugars into alcohol | Wooden vats, water, wild yeasts |
| Distillation | Separating and concentrating alcohol | Copper still or clay pot, direct fire |
Who works there?
The maestro mezcalero leads the process. He knows when cooking is done, when fermentation has finished (by the sound, smell and taste of the must) and where to cut heads and tails during distillation. He usually works with his family and with jimadores who harvest the agave.
Why does it matter for taste?
In an artisanal palenque no two batches are identical. The firewood, local yeasts, the wood of the vats and the maestro's hand all shape the result. Mexico's NOM-070-SCFI-2016 defines which tools a mezcal may use to be called artisanal or ancestral, and they are the tools found in a palenque.
How this applies to ZUNTE
ZUNTE is handmade in San Luis del Río, Oaxaca, by master distiller (maestro mezcalero) Juventino Cruz. Its published process: hand-harvested 8-year Espadín, 4 days of cooking in a conical stone oven, tahona milling, 12 to 15 days of fermentation in wooden barrels with crystalline water and 35 hours of double distillation in a copper still. ZUNTE is certified as Mezcal Artesanal by COMERCAM.
FAQ
Is a palenque the same as a distillery?
A palenque is a distillery, but the word refers to traditional, not industrial, production.
How long does a batch take?
It depends on the palenque; harvest, cooking, fermentation and distillation usually take several weeks.
Can you visit a palenque?
Many in Oaxaca welcome visitors by appointment.
Sources
- NOM-070-SCFI-2016, Alcoholic beverages – Mezcal – Specifications. DOF.
- ZUNTE Mezcal. “Our process”, zuntemezcal.com.
