Alipús

Alipús was born as a project of Destilería Los Danzantes in the late 1990s with the goal of promoting mezcales produced by campesino families in the various communities of Oaxaca. The first expressions were associated with producers from San Juan del Río; the project later included other palenques such as those of Santa Ana del Río, San Baltazar Guelavila, San Luis del Río and communities of Sola de Vega. Commercial and informative sources indicate the project's origin between 1998 and 1999 and cite specific mezcaleros/families involved in the collection.

To promote artisanal mezcales and the work of local producers: Alipús highlights territorial differences (single-site / per village) and supports traditional production practices to preserve rural economies and local techniques.

State of Oaxaca, Mexico. Communities and villages cited in sources: San Juan del Río (Tlacolula district), Santa Ana del Río, San Baltazar Guelavila, San Luis del Río, Sola de Vega and other local communities.

Artisanal small-batch production, with piñas cooked in traditional ovens, fermentation in local tanks (wood/cypress in some cases) and distillation in traditional stills. Specific methods (use of copper stills or amphora/terracotta vessels) vary depending on the palenque and the expression.

Traditional distillation in artisanal stills: many expressions use copper stills, while others (some productions from Sola de Vega) use amphora/terracotta vessels for distillation; fermentations and cookings follow local traditional methods.