Dos Hombres Mezcal - Aaron Paul & Bryan Cranston
Dos Hombres Mezcal, co-founded by friends and former co-stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston is a labor of love and community - born out of a genuine appreciation and respect for the spirit. It is a unique blend of the finest Espadin agave, hand-selected from the hillsides of a small village in Oaxaca by their partner and third generation mezcalero, Gregorio Velasco.
It all started when the good friends shared a special dinner in New York, three years after their landmark show, Breaking Bad finished production. Aaron had the idea to team up with Bryan again on a new venture in the spirits business. With a longtime love for Mezcal, Aaron used that passion to introduce Bryan to the old-world Mexican spirit. And Bryan was hooked. When the duo decided to go all-in, there was only one path forward – to find a mezcal they loved and completely believed in. They had no interest in just slapping their names on an existing brand and waiting for a paycheck. That’s just not them. Both men come from hard-working, blue-collar families, where they were taught a strong work ethic. So, the quest to find a delicious, smooth tasting mezcal began with a week-long adventure, touring distilleries across the beautiful landscape of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Meeting Gregorio was kismet. On the last day of their trip, they still hadn’t found the perfect Mezcal, even after trying around 100 different samples across the region. So, when Aaron and Bryan were approached by Gregorio’s son Orlando, and invited to see his family’s Mezcal operation, they were surprised. It was their very last opportunity, and as it turned out - it was fate at first sip. The partners absolutely loved the sample Gregorio offered them direct from the copper still. They couldn’t believe their luck…it was at that moment the guys realized they didn’t really find the Mezcal…the Mezcal found them.
Production is led by Gregorio in San Luis del Rio at the same traditional palenque where his family has been making Mezcal for many generations. Maestro Gregorio’s ancestors can be traced back to the town’s origins and foundation, as one of the pioneers of Mezcal production using mud jugs. It was his ancestors’ impulse to motivate a village that was hermetically focused on cattle raising to become a reference of Mezcal production in Mexico.
Dos Hombres Mezcal embodies the burgeoning spirit’s complex character. It presents an appealing fragrance and full, slightly smokey taste that engages the palate, ensuring a distinctive smoothness. The brand also offers another agave varietal – Tobala Mezcal – featuring bold notes from Copal trees which embeds the soil with a natural earthy richness where Tobala agaves are grown. The limited expression requires finding the small Tobala agaves in the wild and waiting until they are fully matured (usually 25 years) before harvesting.
Aaron and Bryan embrace the vivid culture of Mexico and do their part to show the community of San Luis del Rio their appreciation for what they do. They went into this with the goal of having everyone in that town feel like a part of their Dos Hombres Mezcal family. Their sustainability efforts for the distillation process include: reforestation participation of the land, adhering to the old custom of planting two Tobala plants for every one they use, repurposing water used for cooling stills, and utilizing a natural distillation process – which means no electricity is used in the production process, just as Gregorio’s ancestors did it.
Their efforts don’t stop there. All Dos Hombres Mezcal employees receive equal pay and employee benefits, and Aaron and Bryan are dedicated to provide necessary services to the small village. In 2021, they installed a state-of-the-art water filtration system for the entire village and beyond. In 2022, they launched a Dos Hombres Mezcal merchandise collection where 100% of proceeds are donated to a fund for various projects such as road improvement, a First-Aid medical center and other needs the village proposes.
Dos Hombres Mezcal is not a celebrity brand - it is a brand with celebrities at the helm. Rooted in friendship and preserving the tradition of Mezcaleros in the village of San Luis del Rio.
With Dos Hombres, it’s fate, it’s friendship, it’s Mezcal.
Dos Hombres is available in 750ml bottles through select retailers and on doshombres.com.