Cupreata 375 mL – Miguel

Before copper pots became the standard, this is how mezcal was made.

In Michoacán, agave Cupreata — known locally as "maguey chino" — is distilled using a technique found almost nowhere else in Mexico: the Filipino-style still. Unlike the all-copper alembics used in Oaxaca or Durango, a Filipino still pairs a wooden still body with a copper still head, a hybrid design believed to predate copper-only distillation entirely. It's slower, more finicky, and gives the final spirit a distinct wood-and-copper character you won't find in mezcal from any other region.

A Regional Craft, Village by Village

This bottle comes from Miguel, working in Cañada del Agua, Michoacán — part of a mezcal-producing region where the process still varies dramatically from one vinata (as distilleries are called here, instead of "palenque") to the next. The agave is roasted in an earth pit, milled, and naturally fermented before making its way through the Filipino still — often twice, for a cleaner final spirit.

What to Expect in the Glass

Michoacán Cupreata is known for a fruit-forward, almost cinnamon-spiced character — expect rich agave sweetness, orchard fruit, a touch of eucalyptus, and a gentle, rounded smoke that the wood-copper still helps mellow out. It's a softer, more approachable style of mezcal than the mineral-forward bottles from Oaxaca — a great entry point for someone newer to agave spirits.

Why This Bottle Matters

Michoacán is one of the newest additions to mezcal's official protected region (added in 2012), and it's still one of the least explored by drinkers outside Mexico. The Filipino still alone makes this a genuinely different drinking experience — a piece of agave spirit history most people have never tasted.

Great for the mezcal drinker who wants something fruit-forward and mellow rather than smoky and aggressive.