What you actually do
The van leaves from Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco and takes about 50 minutes to reach Campo Enigma, an agave field near Matatlán planted with thousands of magueyes. The stop is a guided 30 minutes among the plants, and depending on the season you can plant, cut or harvest a piña yourself.
Five minutes further on is the palenque, and the tour spends around three hours there. That is the core of the day: every production stage on a working site, plus areas the operator says are normally closed to visitors, such as the cellar where mezcal rests in barrels and the packing area, where you can take part in the work yourself. The tasting follows on site, unlimited, organised by category, class and agave variety. The host, Ricardo, comes from a Matatlán family that farms agave and distils; the programme allows for one or two distilleries, and a September 2026 review counts one palenque with, in the reviewer’s words, “plenty to taste”.
Lunch is a one-hour stop at Doña Chica, ten minutes down the road, with traditional Oaxacan food and, the operator promises, more mezcal. The drive back to Jalatlaco takes about an hour.
The stages you will see are explained in How mezcal is made.
What’s included (and what isn’t)
Included:
- Round-trip transport from Oaxaca Centro by van
- Entry to the distillery and the agave field
- Unlimited mezcal tasting
- Oaxacan lunch
Not included:
- Bottles of mezcal to take home
- Cocktails
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
On site you pay only for bottles, if you want one.
Who it’s for / who should skip it
This is the right pick for a first-time visitor who wants the whole chain in one day, plant to palenque to glass to plate, without organising transport to Matatlán. The group is limited to 12, the tour runs in English and Spanish, and the pace is unhurried: three of the six hours are at one distillery rather than spent driving between villages. Lunch being included matters after an unlimited tasting.
Skip it if you are under 18 or over 75, both excluded, or if you only have an evening free: The Best Mezcal Tasting pours six or more mezcals downtown in two hours for roughly a third of the price. The operator’s packing list, sunscreen, comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes, tells you the field and palenque involve real walking on rough ground.
What travellers say
The 111 reviews average 4.8★; sub-scores are guide 5.0, transportation 4.9 and value for money 4.6.
“Alfredo was an amazing guide and it was an awesome tour, so many different mezcals to try and you get to learn the process. lunch was also delicious and plenty of food” — Andrew, Australia, July 2026
“The palenque is very genuine, this is a real experience for those who want to experience natural local mezcal production with soul.” — David, Mexico, September 2026
“It was only us on the tour so it felt more like a private tour.” — Rene, United States, September 2026
Three things repeat: the guide (Alfredo is named in most recent reviews), the quantity of mezcal poured, and the lunch. Value for money is the lowest sub-score at 4.6, which fits one of the higher per-person prices among the day tours here.
Compared with the other palenque tours
| Tour | Price | Hours | Rating | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mezcal Journey | $104 pp | 6 | 4.8★ (111) | Agave field + 3 h at one palenque, unlimited tasting, lunch included, max 12, EN/ES |
| Mezcal Tour Oaxaca (13 Tastes) | $101 pp | 5 | 4.7★ (60) | Distillery + agave field + pulquería, up to 13 mezcals incl. pechuga, no food, EN only |
| The Best Mezcal Tasting | $36 pp | 2 | 4.8★ (20) | City tasting, 6+ mezcals and a cocktail, max 10 |
Choose The Mezcal Journey if you want lunch included and the longest stretch at a single palenque. Choose 13 Tastes if a wider flight, pechuga included, matters more than food.
Practical details
- Meeting point: Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco, Miguel Hidalgo 211, Barrio de Jalatlaco; the tour returns to the same church. No hotel pickup.
- Languages: English and Spanish.
- Group: small group, maximum 12.
- Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before departure, full refund. Reserve now, pay later is available.
- Bring: sunscreen, comfortable clothes, closed-toe shoes. Oversize luggage is not allowed in the van.
- Not suitable for: under 18s, over 75s.
The Mezcal Journey is flagged as likely to sell out, and cancellation stays free until 24 hours before departure, so lock in your date first and plan the rest of your Oaxaca days around it with the trip-planning guide.