Yuku Savi — San Luis Atolotitlán, Puebla
Mountain and rain.
Ninety years of Mixtec distillation heritage. Wild endemic agaves. Batches of 180 bottles. The spirit the Mixteca highlands have kept to themselves — until now.
The Name
Yuku Savi means mountain and rain.
In the Mixtec language, Yuku means mountain and Savi means rain — the two forces that define the land where this spirit is made.
Yuku
Mixtec — Mountain
The Sierra Mixteca highlands of Puebla reach elevations above 2,000 meters. This altitude shapes the agave — slowing maturation, concentrating compounds, and producing a plant that requires 12 to 25 years to reach harvest size. No mountain, no agave. No agave, no Yuku Savi.
Savi
Mixtec — Rain
The Mixteca Alta is a high-altitude rain shadow — dry for most of the year, then intensely wet during the rainy season. This cycle drives the agave's annual growth rhythm. Wild agaves here are not irrigated or cultivated. They are born, grow, and harvested on the mountain's own schedule.
Origin Story
Ninety years of Mixtec heritage.
San Luis Atolotitlán is a Mixtec community in the highlands of Puebla where agave has been distilled for generations without documentation, certification, or international attention. The Macedas family has been producing here for over 90 years.
Maestro Félix Macedas harvests wild and semi-cultivated agaves — Pitzometl (A. Marmorata), Espadilla Ancestral (A. Rhodacantha), Mexicanito Silvestre (A. Macrocantha), Jabalí Cachetón (A. Oteroi), Candelillo (A. Karwinskii), Sierra Negra (A. Americana) — at natural maturity of 12 to 25 years. Volcanic stone-lined earthen ovens; tahona or hand-mallet/canoa; oak, rawhide, or stone vat fermentation; clay pot or copper alembic distillation.
Yuku Savi is a producer-owned label built on economic justice, environmental sustainability, and ancestral technique. Every expression is approximately 180 bottles. Imported by Bad Hombre Importing and distributed in California by Cultura Maguey.
Ancestral Process
As it has always been done.
Maestro Félix Macedas uses the methods his family has always used — outside the mezcal denomination, outside certification, and outside any regulatory body.
Wild Agave Harvest
Wild endemic agaves harvested by hand from the Sierra Mixteca at natural maturity of 12 to 25 years. No cultivation, no irrigation.
Stone Oven Roast
Piñas roasted in volcanic stone-lined earthen ovens. Candelillo uses a distinctive cone-shaped stone oven unique to the Mixtec tradition.
Mash & Crush
Most expressions: horse-drawn tahona. Espadilla Ancestral: crushed by hand with wooden mallet and canoa — the most ancestral mashing method.
Traditional Fermentation
Fermentation vessel varies by expression: oak barrels (Jabalí, Pitzometl, Mexicanito); rawhide skins (Espadilla Ancestral); stone vats (Candelillo, Sierra Negra).
Clay Pot or Copper Still
Distillation in clay pot (olla de barro) or copper alembic depending on the expression. Controlled entirely by Maestro Félix Macedas.
~180 Bottles
Each expression yields approximately 180 bottles at natural proof. No additives. When the harvest is done, the batch is done.
Expressions
Six wild agaves. Six distinct spirits.
Each expression is tied to a specific agave species endemic to the Mixteca highlands. When the species is in season, it is harvested. When the batch is gone, it is gone.
Puebla — Mixteca Alta · A. Marmorata · 25 years
Pitzometl
Agave marmorata — endemic to Mixteca, Puebla and Oaxaca
25-yr A. Marmorata. Volcanic oven, tahona, oak barrels, copper alembic. 180 bottles, Feb 2024. Honeyed, structured, complex.
50% ABV
180 bottles
Puebla — Mixteca Alta · A. Rhodacantha · 13 years
Espadilla Ancestral
Agave rhodacantha — native to Mixteca region of Puebla
13-yr A. Rhodacantha. Volcanic oven, hand-mallet/canoa, rawhide skin fermentation, clay pot stills. 180 bottles, Feb 2024. Bright, floral, ancestral.
48% ABV
180 bottles
Puebla — Mixteca Alta · A. Macrocantha · 12 years
Mexicanito Silvestre
Agave macrocantha — native to Mixteca region of Puebla
12-yr A. Macrocantha. Volcanic oven, tahona, oak barrels, copper alembic. 180 bottles, March 2024. Dense and savory.
48% ABV
180 bottles
Puebla — Mixteca Alta · A. Oteroi · 14 years
Jabalí Cachetón
Agave oteroi — endemic to Mixteca region of Puebla
14-yr A. Oteroi. Volcanic oven, tahona, oak barrels, copper alembic. 180 bottles, March 2024. Rich, bold, structured.
49% ABV
180 bottles
Puebla — Mixteca Alta · A. Karwinskii · semi-cultivated
Candelillo
Agave karwinskii — Candelillo (semi-cultivated)
Semi-cultivated A. Karwinskii. Cone-shaped stone oven, canoe-style mill, stone vat fermentation, clay pot stills. 114 bottles, April 2025.
51.5% ABV
114 bottles
Puebla — Mixteca Alta · A. Americana · cultivated
Sierra Negra
Agave americana — Wild Agave Americana (cultivated)
Cultivated A. Americana. Volcanic oven, tahona, stone vats, copper alembic. 108 bottles, November 2024. Bold and expressive at high proof.
52% ABV
108 bottles
Why It Matters
The agave world does not end in Oaxaca.
Puebla Agave Heritage
San Luis Atolotitlán sits in the Mixteca Alta — a high-altitude agave region in southern Puebla that has been distilling for generations without the global spotlight that has fallen on Oaxaca. The endemic agaves here — Pitzometl, Espadilla, Mexicanito, Jabalí Cachetón — are distinct species shaped by altitude, rainfall, and volcanic soil that cannot be replicated anywhere else on earth.
California Availability
Yuku Savi is one of the most limited and authentic agave spirits available on the West Coast — 180 bottles per expression, from one of the oldest agave-distilling families in the Mixteca. Imported by Bad Hombre Importing and distributed by Cultura Maguey at select retailers across California. When it is gone, it is gone.
Producer Ownership
Yuku Savi is a producer-owned label structured specifically to ensure the Macedas family retains economic control of their work. Built on three explicit principles: economic and social justice, environmental sustainability, and strict adherence to ancestral technique. The bottle you hold is the result of 90 years of heritage and a family that has always known what they were doing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you want to know.
What is Yuku Savi and why is it not called mezcal?
Produced in Puebla outside the mezcal Denomination of Origin. Methods are ancestral and traditional but cannot legally be labeled mezcal. Labeled as agave spirit — the honest category.
Where can I buy Yuku Savi in California?
Available through Cultura Maguey's bottle shop with California delivery and at select specialty retailers. Production is ~180 bottles per expression. Importer: Bad Hombre Importing LLC.
Who is Maestro Félix Macedas?
The distiller behind Yuku Savi — 90+ years of continuous Mixtec family production in San Luis Atolotitlán, Puebla. Harvests wild agaves by hand. Roasts in volcanic stone-lined earthen ovens. Crushes with tahona or hand-mallet/canoa. Ferments in oak barrels, rawhide skins, or stone vats. Distills in clay pots or copper alembics.
What agave species does Yuku Savi use?
Six expressions: Pitzometl (A. Marmorata, 25 yr, 50%); Espadilla Ancestral (A. Rhodacantha, 13 yr, 48%, hand-mallet/canoa, clay pot stills); Mexicanito Silvestre (A. Macrocantha, 12 yr, 48%); Jabalí Cachetón (A. Oteroi, 14 yr, 49%); Candelillo (A. Karwinskii semi-cultivated, 51.5%, 114 bottles, cone oven, clay pot); Sierra Negra (A. Americana cultivated, 52%, 108 bottles). Each requires 12–25 years to mature.
Why are Yuku Savi batches only 180 bottles?
Batch size is determined by available wild agave harvest, not a production target. Wild agaves harvested at natural maturity define the quantity. Once sold, no more until next harvest.
Available in California
Living heritage in a bottle.
Yuku Savi is one of the most limited and authentic agave spirits available on the West Coast — 180 bottles per expression from one of the oldest agave-distilling families in the Mixteca.
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