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 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.⁠

We employ a four grain mash bill of corn, barley malt, wheat and rye to achieve a softer bourbon that emphasizes malt and rye. Expressions unique to each barrel of spiciness on the nose with a long finish of butterscotch, caramel and tobacco.

Our unique Four Stage Ageing Process for Ultimate Smoothness finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Casks.

Dewar’s Double Double 32-Year-Old is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, this brings rich, ripe treacle notes with a hint of smokiness and the silky smooth finish.

We aged Octave Barrels in Yalumba’s iconic The Octavius Shiraz barrels.

About the Brand

OUR NAME: The Cazcanes natives, the last indigenous people of Mexico to be conquered by the Spaniards.
OUR SYMBOL: The Ancient symbol of the Healing Hand.
OUR RECIPE: Based upon a 300-year-old indigenous recipe found in a moonshine jungle still.
OUR WATER: Deep underground springs beneath the ancient native lands of the Cazcanes.
OUR INGREDIENTS: Agave and Water (No Additives)

THE LOST ART OF TEQUILA MAKING

CAZCANES WATER
Cazcanes sources natural artesian water for our tequila. The water starts off as rain or snow high up on the pristine peaks of the San Pedro de los Landeros mountains. It slowly travels through natural minerals deep within the volcanic mountains before emerging at the Navichi springs.

NATURAL YEAST FERMENTATION
The ‘piñas’ are then cooked, and crushed to extract and concentrate their flavors.  Next comes fermentation using natural, wild yeast, and then distillation in our alembic stills.

CAZCANES AGAVE
Hand-selected Weber Blue Lowland (Tequila Valley) Agave grown in Volcanic Tufa Soil at 4000-6000 ft is harvested during peak sugar levels to deliver a distinct Cazcanes taste.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL
At Cazcanes Tequila, we oversee every step of the process with tremendous Attention to detail to help create a tequila that stands above all the rest.

Aged for 37 months in American White Oak barrels and bottled at 100 proof, for maximum flavor, Cazcanes No 7 Extra Anejo is one of the best sipping tequila with an excellent flavor profile and smoothness. This could be the best gift for your lovers.

The Japanese public preferred a softer, smoother, less-smokey version of whisky, and their master distillers worked tirelessly to cater to the public's flavor profile. The result, a whisky that rivals even the legendary scotches because of the quality and never before seen flavor and finishes. Not to mention Japan made the whisky Highball famous due to the light, sweet, and floral whiskies effect on sparkling water. 

Yamato does just that, pairing perfectly with the traditional Japanese whisky flavor profile. You can witness a silky smooth finish, beautiful fruits, and vanillas from the start. Yamato is your entrance into the world of high-end Japanese whisky. Enjoy it neat, on the rocks, or in a highball.

American single malt whiskey aged in first fill bourbon barrels and finished in peated-smoked oak and sherry casks.

NOSE

Toasted pecan, ripe red apples, and honeysuckle

MID-PALATE

Dried figs, black currants, wildflower honey, and candied dates

FINISH

Cream sherry, medium toast American oak, and a hint of Islay style peat smoke.

Our Story

Experience in every bottle the convergence of traditional Scotch making techniques and a new-world approach to whiskey creation. Bear Fight adopts a custom maturation and finishing process to create a bold, yet approachable American Single Malt Whiskey with a consistent and balanced flavor profile.

​Aged to perfection in first-fill bourbon casks and finished in both sherry & exclusive peated casks, every glass has the aroma and flavor of candied pecans, ripe red apples, sweet sherry, and a faint whiff of Islay-style peat smoke.

Two ingredients, limitless adventure

In this exclusive gift set, discover three delicious ways in which we combine malt whiskies and grain whiskies. Scotland’s two styles of whisky allow for endless experimentation. Blended malts are long established; blended Scotch emerged in the 19th century, while blended grain started with us in 2000. This one-of-a-kind sampler collection celebrates the compelling possibilities of malt whisky and grain whisky by introducing Orchard House alongside two of our established whiskies, Glasgow Blend and Hedonism.

Three families of blends

Orchard House combines exclusively single malt whiskies, making it a blended malt Scotch whisky, whilst Hedonism draws only on mature single grain whiskies and is that seldom-seen creature, a blended grain Scotch whisky. Then Glasgow Blend completes the picture by bringing together both single grain and single malt whiskies in one bottle as a blended Scotch whisky.

With this pack, you can experience the contrasting styles of whisky Scotland creates. Share & Enjoy!

Our mezcal begins with a slow 90-minute drive outside of Puebla, Mexico. The dramatic terrain, rugged high-elevation mesas, and cyclical weather patterns are the perfect recipe for thriving agaves. Nestled in the foothills around the small village of Huehuetlán el Grande, the palenque and agave fields are at the center of the budding Poblano mezcal movement.

Our story starts with fourth-generation master-mezcalero Aarón Alva Sánchez. A true mezcal visionary, Aarón is a pioneer in the mezcal space, having played a central role in the tobalá renascence.
Aarón is an artist and a scientist who has spent his life mastering the end-to-end process of agave farming through mezcal production. Recognizing how difficult the tobalá agave is to cultivate, Aarón set out to develop a sustainable process for reproducing the finicky agave at scale. A true pioneer in the mezcal tradition, Aarón’s charismatic demeanor and legendary expertise command respect and admiration within the mezcal community.

Our mezcal begins with a slow 90-minute drive outside of Puebla, Mexico. The dramatic terrain, rugged high-elevation mesas, and cyclical weather patterns are the perfect recipe for thriving agaves.

Nestled in the foothills around the small village of Huehuetlán el Grande, the palenque and agave fields are at the center of the budding Poblano mezcal movement.

Our story starts with fourth-generation master-mezcalero Aarón Alva Sánchez. A true mezcal visionary, Aarón is a pioneer in the mezcal space, having played a central role in the tobalá renascence.

Aarón is an artist and a scientist who has spent his life mastering the end-to-end process of agave farming through mezcal production.

Recognizing how difficult the tobalá agave is to cultivate, Aarón set out to develop a sustainable process for reproducing the finicky agave at scale. A true pioneer in the mezcal tradition, Aarón’s charismatic demeanor and legendary expertise command respect and admiration within the mezcal community.

Sometimes less is more…except vodka. More vodka is always more fun than less vodka! Our “Classic”, unflavored options are meant to provide freedom and simplicity, and our Vodka Tonic Classic is a perfect example. Nothing but ultra-premium craft vodka, refreshing tonic, at full Bar Strength. When only fresh squeezed citrus will do, you have the freedom to garnish your way.

It’s like summer time in a can, a refreshing warm weather companion we know you will love. The All Hands Vodka Soda Raspberry Lemonade contains only ultra-premium craft quality vodka, all natural fruit flavors, and premium sparkling water.

Don’t be bitter! Unlike other varieties, Texas Ruby Red Grapefruits are known for their sweetness and rich color. We have captured that unique flavor in our signature Vodka Soda Ruby Red Vodka Soda with only ultra-premium craft vodka, all natural fruit flavors, and refreshing sparkling water.

An American Classic, our Vodka Soda Cranberry is a Texas take on the mid-Atlantic favorite, the Rose Kennedy. Light and refreshing, with ultra-premium craft vodka, all natural fruit flavor, and premium sparkling water.