In the tiny village of San Miguel Ejutla in the central valley of Oaxaca, a co-operative comprised of 20 families (Integradora Comercial de Ejutla) is committed to sustainable, fair trade mezcal production the same way it’s been done by their ancestors for nearly two centuries. Underground wood-fired pits, donkey-pulled tahonas (stone-wheel mills), fermentation in wooden tanks and small-batch distillation in copper alembics punctuate a process that has been and remains the life’s work of these mezcaleros, with the same care and attention to detail reflected in each and every bottle.