Picaflor Espadin / Madrecuishe

Founded in 2012, Picaflor Mezcal is the brainchild of three exiled Mexicans in Spain, who also run an agave spirits distribution, tasting, and event space in Barcelona named Enmezcalarte. The brand, named after the hummingbird that feeds on agave nectar in Oaxaca, collaborates with traditional mezcal distillers without binding them with contracts. Currently, two producers, Virgilio Velasco and Don Ramón Cruz García, bottle under the Picaflor label. Velasco produces around 5000 liters of Picaflor Espadín mezcal annually in San Luis del Rio, while Cruz García produces about 3500 liters of Picaflor Wild from a mix of Espadín and wild Madrecuishe in Mengolí de Morelos. Both distill their mezcal in traditional copper pot stills.