Hermógenes Vasquez

Logoche, Oaxaca

The Maestro

Wearing his wool hat, Hermógenes Vasquez greets us with the quiet pride of a third-generation mezcalero, ready to share the story of the mezcales that have marked his life in the small mountain village of Logoche, Miahuatlán. He recalls his paternal grandfather running a small palenque just outside the village, where mezcal was first distilled in clay pots. Later, they switched to metal drums, without cooling tanks, using the running water from the nearby stream to condense the distillate. However, it was under his uncle, Primitivo Santiago from San Luis Amatlán, that he finally apprenticed. Hermógenes started working alongside him when he was just 12 years old. By 2001, he had built his first palenque, inspired by the traditional setups of nearby producers. This time, he had electricity and a proper concrete cooling tank, an upgrade, yet rooted in tradition.
Hermógenes Vasquez

The Process

Pit Oven

Pit Oven

Shredder

Shredder

Wood Fermented

Wood Fermented

Deep Well

Deep Well

Copper Pot

Copper Pot

Spirits by Hermógenes Vasquez