Arturo Campos: Mezcalero of June 2026
Ixtero Amarillo
Meet Arturo Campos — Maguey Melate’s Mezcalero of June 2026.
From the historic landscapes of Jalisco comes a spirit that challenges the traditional agave narrative: Ixtero Amarillo. This rare agave, distilled traditionally in clay pots, produces a deeply complex distillate with its own striking character, its own story, and its own proud place in Western Mexico’s spirit heritage. Arturo Campos is the keeper of this ancestral craft — a master who understands that Mexico’s incredible liquid traditions thrive far beyond the expected regions, and that Jalisco’s traditional clay-pot distillates deserve equal recognition and respect.
In this playlist, experience his complete world: the sun-drenched land where Ixtero Amarillo grows, the ancestral methods he uses to transform it, and the remarkable spirit that results from pure passion and dedication. This is a regional expression beyond the expected — a taste of Jalisco that expands what you think Mexican craft spirits can be.
Jalisco spirits. Ixtero Amarillo agave. One master. One unforgettable expression.
Arturo Campos is a legendary mezcalero — best known for his Cenizo — but this month, Maguey Melate is featuring something truly special: his rare Ixtero Amarillo from Tuxpan, Jalisco. When we had the chance to try it, we didn’t hesitate for a second. We knew every Melate member would love it. In this Short, Arturo introduces himself and shares his earliest mezcal memories — growing up around the palenque and learning the craft from his father.
🌵 Agave: Ixtero Amarillo (rare expression)
📍 Origin: Tuxpan, Jalisco
When Arturo Campos was 23, he met clients in their 80s who still remembered buying mezcal from his great-grandfather Antonio Campos.
Four generations. The same family. The same mezcal. Those loyal clients passed their love for the Campos mezcal down to their own children — who then came to buy from Arturo’s grandfather, then his father, and now from him.
That’s not just a business. That’s a legacy built on quality and trust, one generation at a time.
At 18 or 19 years old, after years of working side by side with his father, Arturo Campos was given the ultimate test — his father stepped back and let him handle the fermentation entirely on his own. Not to abandon him. But to prepare him. So that one day, when his father was no longer there, Arturo would stand on his own — no second-guessing, no shortcuts. That’s how a Maestro Mezcalero is made.
quick, simple, analytical
