What ABV is puntas mezcal?

Usually 55% and above, and sometimes over 60%, since puntas are the highest-strength fraction of the distillation run.

Are puntas safe to drink?

Bottled puntas from a certified producer are simply a high-proof mezcal. The heads worth avoiding are unregulated home distillates, not commercially released puntas.

← Mezcal stylesThe high-proof heads of the run, bottled on purpose

Puntas Mezcal

Puntas are the first, strongest fraction to come off the second distillation — intense, aromatic and typically 55% ABV or higher.

Every distillation begins with puntas, the high-alcohol heads. Most distillers blend them back into the batch; some bottle them straight because that fraction carries the most volatile aromatics — ripe fruit, citrus oil, green pepper and a fierce mineral bite.

Mezcaleros traditionally judge a batch by the perlas, the bead of bubbles that forms when puntas are poured. Long-lasting pearls signal correct strength, which is how proof was measured long before hydrometers reached the palenque.

Bottled puntas are not for beginners. Served at cellar temperature in a small copita, they show a distillery's character at full volume.

Puntas bottles in the catalogue

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Frequently asked

What ABV is puntas mezcal?: Usually 55% and above, and sometimes over 60%, since puntas are the highest-strength fraction of the distillation run.
Are puntas safe to drink?: Bottled puntas from a certified producer are simply a high-proof mezcal. The heads worth avoiding are unregulated home distillates, not commercially released puntas.

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 Capón MezcalAgave castrated in the field, left to sweeten before harvest