Pelotón de la Muerte Blanco

Pelotón de la Muerte—“the squadron of death”—is associated with an insurgent force from Mexico’s struggle for independence. The term evokes courage, conviction, and risk.

Pelotón de la Muerte seems like a perfect name for a mezcal brand that entered the category nearly 20 years ago, before Mezcal occupied prominent shelves or graced cocktail menus—a time when the risk of failure was very real.

In 2005, Danny Mena and four partners opened La Botica, one of the first establishments in Mexico City devoted exclusively to artisanal mezcal. But as the saying goes, “with great risk comes great reward.”

With success under their belts, the partners had time to travel and taste spirits, eventually making their way to El Arenal and Compañía Tequilera Don Cayo (NOM 1649). There, they fell in love with the terroir-driven tequilas made by two brothers, Dagoberto and Cayo.

The Pelotón de la Muerte team came to appreciate the flavors of the estate-grown agave. The local terroir of El Arenal provides a mineral earthiness, some acidity, and a mild herbal sweetness.

The team became passionate about those flavors and developed a great fondness for the people there, as well. “We first met the producer and the tequila and fell in love,” Mena explained. “It wasn’t that we were seeking this out—more, it found us.”

Mena describes Pelotón de la Muerte tequila as “another mezcal, it just happened to be in tequila.”

Pelotón de la Muerte is a name that speaks to bravery. Entering the tequila space as a mezcal producer has its risks.

For Danny Mena and his partners, taking risks has given them the success needed to spend 20 years exploring the complexity of agave, only to discover that one of Mexico’s most familiar spirits still has something entirely new to say.

Nose: earth / mineral / hint of black pepper / apple / hint of pear / lime / hay

Taste: sweet, cooked agave / bold cinnamon / black pepper / green apple / orange / lime / lemongrass / citrus / spearmint / tea / bell pepper / hint of jalapeño / mineral

Finish: medium viscosity coats the palate well and has a nice hold on the taste buds / a combination of agave sweetness and light fruit notes weaves together, leaving bell pepper and mineral notes at the back of the palate / alcohol, light spearmint freshness, spicy cinnamon, lime, and black and green bell pepper complete the taste and hold on for a while / a bit of harshness from the alcohol and lingering spiciness from the pepper note

More from Pelotón de la Muerte: All of our Pelotón de la Muerte coverage, including reviews, lists, scores, and more.