Tres Tribus

The idea for Tres Tribus was born when Juan Coronado met Juan Antonio Coronel and bonded over their love of mezcal. Their goal was to share the extraordinary flavours of the agave plants native to the Mixteca region with the world, using the traditional methods that the Coronel family perfected.

Tres Tribus’ three single agave varietals are distilled exclusively from fully mature, wild agave foraged from the region’s lush, pine-covered forests. Some of these agaves grow for decades before being harvested.

The agave is cooked for up to a week at low temperatures in an underground conical oven, layered with volcanic stones, and using hard, long-burning Encino oak. This approach elevates the natural flavors of the agave without overwhelming their unique profiles with smoke. After cooking, the agave is mashed by hand using a wooden mallet. The exception is the Cuixe, which is pulled using a machine due to its tough fibers.

Tres Tribus uses pristine mountain water from the nearby Tidaá volcano aquifer. This local water is critical to the rich, clean profile of Tres Tribus & one of the reasons why it is different from any other mezcal. Using wild, local yeast of the Mixteca region, the agave is fermented for up to a week in underground amphoras. Designed to manage fluctuating mountain temperatures, the unique underground fermentation process adds floral notes of rose and jasmine, as well as deep umami flavours.

Tres Tribus mezcal is double-distilled using a still designed and hand-built by Juan Antonio Coronel from copper and local elements from the region. This still brings forth the vibrant fruit flavours of the agave.

Juan Coronel has a replanting program that replenishes agave harvested in the wild as well as trees used in the production process For every wild agave he harvests, he replants four new ones. He also replants between 1,000 and 3,000 trees each year. These include Encino oak trees, as well as pine, jarilla, and fruit trees, such as peach and apple.

The only mezcal to earn B Corp certification, Tres Tribus is committed to acting in an environmentally responsible manner. The distillery is fully carbon neutral and the packaging is environmentally friendly. This includes bottles made from recycled glass as well as labels made from recycled paper and reprocessed aluminum.