What does capón mean on a mezcal label?

It means the agave's flower stalk was cut before harvest so the plant kept concentrating sugars instead of spending them on flowering.

Does capón mezcal taste sweeter?

Generally yes. The additional ripening raises sugar concentration, which usually reads as richer, rounder and more honeyed in the glass.

← Mezcal stylesAgave castrated in the field, left to sweeten before harvest

Capón Mezcal

Capón mezcal comes from agave whose flower stalk was cut early, letting the plant concentrate sugars for months or years longer.

When an agave prepares to flower it pushes a quiote skyward and burns through the sugar stored in its heart. Cutting that stalk — castrating, or capando, the plant — stops the process and leaves the piña to keep ripening in place.

Producers often leave a capón plant standing for another year or more. The extra time deepens the sugars and the resulting mezcal tends to be richer and sweeter, with cooked fruit and honeyed weight behind the smoke.

It also demands patience and land: a capón batch ties up plants for seasons, so these bottlings are usually small releases from producers who farm their own hillsides.

Capón bottles in the catalogue

3.00 reviews

Frequently asked

What does capón mean on a mezcal label?: It means the agave's flower stalk was cut before harvest so the plant kept concentrating sugars instead of spending them on flowering.
Does capón mezcal taste sweeter?: Generally yes. The additional ripening raises sugar concentration, which usually reads as richer, rounder and more honeyed in the glass.

Other mezcal styles

Joven MezcalUnaged, bottled straight from the still Ensamble MezcalTwo or more agave species roasted and distilled together Pechuga MezcalA third distillation with fruit, spice and a hanging protein Ancestral MezcalClay-pot distillation, the oldest method still in use Mezcal Aged in GlassYears in sealed glass demijohns, no oak involved Puntas MezcalThe high-proof heads of the run, bottled on purpose