Brand Introduction 

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time. We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own.  We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect with our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Erstwhile Henequen Mezcal

Must-have for any serious mezcal collector.  This is the first mezcal made from the Henequén agave that is available in the US market. This distillation, made from cultivated Henequén agave, is a small-batch limited edition of 397 liters (roughly 500 bottles) from the personal collection of the late master distiller Juan Hernández Méndez in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca.  Henequén, an agave plant native to the Yucatán Peninsula and valued for its fiber since pre-Hispanic times, once ruled and transformed the region’s economy to such an extent that it came to be known as “green gold”. It is not native to, and thus rarely seen in, Oaxaca and other mezcal-producing regions of Mexico.

Brand Introduction 

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time. We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own.  We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect with our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Tepeztate-Tobalá Ensamble (2018 Limited Edition)

A true blend of 50% Tepeztate and 50% Tobalá, two agaves that are dramatically different in personality.  This Tepeztate-Tobalá Ensamble is Tepeztate forward, meaning you will likely taste the green, vegetal, and pear notes of the Tepeztate first, before it expands into the Tobalá’s sweeter fruit notes and rounder body.  A verdant, precise and clean combination of grass and rainwashed limestone on the nose. Pear, green pepper, peppercorn, and minerals on the tongue. Tempered by the smooth caramel notes and hint of smoke from the Tobalá.

Brand Introduction 

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time. We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own.  We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect with our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Erstwhile Tobala Mezcal

Tropical fruit notes, with a round mouthfeel.  Banana, cooked maguey, and adobo on the nose. Quince and vanilla on the tongue, with the lingering lovely round sweetness of caramel. The slightest hint of spiciness and hot smoke.  This mezcal always makes us think of dessert and would make a fabulous after-dinner digestif with dessert or on its own. Banana foster, creme brûlée, banana pudding … The possibilities are endless.

Brand Introduction 

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time. We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own.  We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect with our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry.

Cucharillo Sotol (2021 Limited Edition)

This beautiful Cucharillo, distilled from wild Sotol plants harvested in Oaxaca's southern highlands, is the most aromatic and botanical from Erstwhile Mezcal's 2021 Limited Releases.  Oregano, lemon balm, and other wild mountain herbs that grow naturally in the same hills make a delightful bouquet in the mouth feel and flavor profile.  "Cucharillo" is the local name for the Sotol plant in this part of southern Oaxaca, Mexico.

Brand Introduction

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time.

We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time, and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own. 

We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. 

Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. 

Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Erstwhile Espadin Mezcal 375 ml (2021 Ancestral Limited Edition)

Only 300 liters made.  This rare batch of Espadin – one of Erstwhile's 2021 Ancestral Limited Releases- marks Master Mezcalero Juan Abel Quiroz Agustín's debut in the United States and international markets.  Natural fermentation with wild native yeasts in sabino cypress wood vats.   Distilled exclusively in clay pots.  Crafted with love in Santa María Sola, Oaxaca. 

Brand Introduction

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time.

We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time, and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own. We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. 

Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Brand Introduction

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time.

We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time, and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own. 

We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. 

Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. 

Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

 Erstwhile Madre Cuishe (2021 Ancestral Limited Edition)

Distilled in clay pots and quiote.  A legacy of the era when Mezcal production was illegal in Oaxaca, this extraordinary batch of Madrecuishe crafted by Silverio García Luis – a 2021 Ancestral Limited Release – rescues a García family tradition that had been lost for about 50 years.  In the 1960's and 1970's, mezcal production was illegal in Oaxaca and other parts of Mexico.  Don Lencho, Silverio's father, used a hollowed out quiote (the flowering stalk of agave plants) instead of a copper tube, to evade the military that would come and seize his distillation equipment by force.  The García family went back to using copper stills around 1980, as prohibition came to a gradual end in Oaxaca.  Now you too can partake in this unique distillation method and family tradition from the García family in Rancho Blanco Güilá, Oaxaca, available for the first time in the United States in partnership with Erstwhile Mezcal.

Brand Introduction

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time.

We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time, and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own. 

We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. 

Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. 

Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry.

Brand Introduction 

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time. We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own.  We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect with our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Erstwhile Cuishe Mezcal

A herbal, easy drinking mezcal from the Agave karwinskii family.  Lovely nutty, earthy nose.  On the palate, this mezcal has a bit of kick to it with notes of jalapeño pepper and spices.  Banana and chipotle follow through with a hint of cinnamon sticks, clove, and bitter melon.

Brand Introduction

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time. We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts. We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time, and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own. We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. Only 200 liters made.  This rare batch of Tobalá – one of Erstwhile's 2021 Ancestral Limited Releases- marks Master Mezcalero Juan Abel Quiroz Agustín's debut in the United States and international markets.  Natural fermentation with wild native yeasts in sabino cypress wood vats.   Distilled exclusively in clay pots.  Crafted with love in Santa María Sola, Oaxaca. 

Brand Introduction

A mission-driven, social impact-driven company, Erstwhile is a boutique agave spirits importer based in Brooklyn, New York.  Our mission: advocate for small, independent, family-owned producers who lack representation outside their local communities in Mexico; and bring their craft to mezcal lovers in international markets for the first time.

We work closely with our partner producers and set them up for success.  No haggling.  No exclusivity contracts.  We guide producers through the complicated steps to export in their own names for the first time, and cover necessary expenses including local attorneys, accountants, license fees, and more.  We absorb our producers’ marketing and supply chain costs as our own. 

We believe in autonomy for producers, be it hiring their own workers or using their own bottling facility. We only step in if they want our help. We connect our partner producers to share knowledge and help each other in production. 

Revenue from every Erstwhile bottle sold creates jobs in our partner producers’ and vendors’ local communities in Mexico.  Our producers hire their own team of local men and women, on their own terms. 

Erstwhile is a woman-owned, women-led business.  Our team is multicultural and multilingual.  We are outspoken about elevating underrepresented voices in Mezcal and our industry. 

Erstwhile Bacon Pechuga (2021 Limited Edition)

Must-have for any serious mezcal collector. This Bacon Pechuga Mezcal is an all-women collaboration and 2021 Limited Release between Erstwhile Mezcal and the Hernández Women Mezcaleras from Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca.  Only 300 liters made.  Ripe mango, guava, pineapple, and bacon locally sourced in Oaxaca are the star ingredients.  Three distillations total.  Bacon is slow-steamed in the still for the last two distillations, giving an amazing creamy and smooth texture to each sip.⁠