The new alliance between mezcal distillery, Destilería Los Danzantes, and Casa Pedro Domecq, the Mexican joint venture between González Byass and Emperador Group, will aim to expand the reach of the Mezcal producer. The alliance follows a capital injection by Casa Pedro Domecq.
Los Danzantes and Alipús mezcals, the latter owned and bottled by the former, currently export to 28 countries and have appeared in top ten in the ISCAM market sales report for Mexico in the super-premium and ultra-premium price categories.
Founded in 1997 by Gustavo Muñoz and later joined by his brother Jaime, Los Danzantes operates artisanal distilleries, or palenques, employing 40 people, in Santiago Matatlán and the nearby village of Unión Zapata in Oaxaca, Mexico.
These palenques adopt a traditional approach to mezcal production which includes using earthen fire pits, stone tahonas for milling, open-top wooden fermentation vats, and copper pot stills. These traditional distilleries produce mezcal from the 60ha agave fields planted by Los Danzantes.
Although the brothers used wild agave harvesting to produce its Mezcal to begin with, to meet growing demand they adopted an approach of cultivating and propagating indigenous agave varieties. This approach to mezcal production differs to most other producer's of the spirit who largely use Espadín agave. The varieties Los Danzantes cultivates includes the indigenous Reposado and Añejo agaves.
Gustavo Muñoz, founder and CEO of Los Danzantes, is buoyed by the partnership with the González Byass-owned distributor, Casa Pedro Domecq.
He said: "After 28 years of dedication, Destilería Los Danzantes reaffirms its commitment to evolving within the mezcal industry while staying true to its roots. This alliance with Casa Pedro Domecq honours our history and vision, strengthening our sustainable practices in agave cultivation, particularly in conserving wild species."
César Sánchez, CEO of González Byass, shares Muñoz’s optimism in the new alliance.
"We are proud to align ourselves with such an authentic, legacy brand. In the world of mezcal, Los Danzantes is synonymous with excellence, craftsmanship, and Mexican artistry.”