Eleuterio “Tío Tello” Perez Ramos, born in 1949,

is a second-generation mezcal producer on his father’s side and at least a fourth-generation producer on his mother’s side, which is believed to have been distilling mezcal in El Nanche, Oaxaca, since at least the mid-1850s.

Tio Tello’s mezcales demonstrate his demanding standards for the use of ripe “quiotudo” agave, and he employs unique distillation cuts that expertly balance the acidity of “xixe” (tails) with bold roasted agave of the hearts. Nowadays, Tío Tello’s youngest son Eduardo “Lalo” Perez Cortés does the majority of the work, distilling batches from his father’s agave for his father and his own agave for his own batches, which tend to be proofed slightly higher.

Friends, family and neighbors meet at Tío Tello's palenque to assist with mashing after the roasting is completed. This leads to a social ritual experience between them that develops a strong sense of community and support. He also believes that mechanical shredding could impart undesired flavors so he prefers chopping the cooked agave with a machete and mashing it with large wooden hammers. Tío Tello’s palenque is undoubtedly one of the last palenques in Miahuatlan that still employs the manual crushing of cooked agaves with wooden mallets.