Max Kelly: Mezcal Making Madness

This past year, US-based liquor importer, Back Bar was looking to promote the Mezcal they source from producers in Oaxaca, Mexico. They were planning a trip to visit the distilleries in the Mexican region. They wanted to bring along a photographer to create a series of images that tell the story of Mezcal. That’s where Austin-based photographer Max Kelly came in. With a background in artisanal food & drink photography and a passion for the process, he was perfect for the job. 

We recently caught up with Max and got the chance to chat about the project.

Q. What was the goal of this series?

The way Mezcal is made is unlike any other liquor. It’s a craft spirit in the truest sense of the word. The agave is planted, harvested, fermented, and distilled by the same family, all within a few miles of their home. 

The idea behind the series was to create a library of images that tell the story of Mezcal. Its distillation techniques have been generations in the making and are perfection. The agave plants grow and are harvested in beautiful landscapes. In the end, we share the finished spirit and enjoy it.

Q. What was the planning process for the shoot?

Given the nature of the subject and the region, we had to be very flexible and light on our feet. Access to the remote villages in which the Mezcaleros lived was not always a given. Many protests often close roads out of town. In the mountains, however, any number of unforeseen reasons may block the route.

We had the help of Oaxacan local and owner of Mezcalogia bar, Asis Cortes. He was instrumental in setting up the visits to the different distilleries (known as palenques). Since Mezcal is produced in multiple stages, and we had no way of knowing what stage of the process would be occurring at each palenque, it wasn’t possible to stick to a rigid shot list.

Before the trip, we had a conference call where we discussed the themes we wanted to focus on. For example, the importance of family and continued traditions. I had a great deal of creative freedom. This was due to the necessity and partly because we agreed that the images should feel natural and genuine.

Q. What was the actual shoot like? What was your process for capturing the natural imagery of the Mezcaleros?

We shot for five days, visiting two to three palenques per day. Also, we spent much of the day behind the windshield, traveling between distant villages on unpaved roads. However, we rarely spent more than an hour with anyone Mezcalero.

When we arrived at the palenques, I focused on picking out their unique characteristics. Each Mezcalero has its technique and style that was important to bring into the photographs. I usually started out shooting candids and action shots of the Mezcaleros at work, as a way of accustoming them to the camera before asking them to sit for a more formal portrait. 

Q. Did you face any challenges with this project? If so, how did you overcome them?

Not knowing what part of the process would be occurring at each palenque before we arrived posed a challenge. I wanted to be sure that we captured all stages of the Mezcal process, but each Mezcalero had their timetable and routine that we had to respect.

By the beginning of the last day of shooting, we had not seen the grinding of the agave — a captivating process in which a horse pulls a huge millstone over a pile of roasted agave. I felt strongly about getting a shot of this, so I pushed to tweak our schedule to do so. We ended up visiting one of the palenques that was being ground that day, and I got a great shot of the process from up in the rafters. I’m really glad that it worked out, as I feel that photo tells a big part of the story about the traditional methods used to make Mezcal.

Q. Any adventures or memorable moments that you’d like to share? 

One of the other unexpected highlights of the trip was experiencing the food culture of Oaxaca. Outside of the city, many families operate the restaurants out of their homes. You would stop along the side of the road, sit at a table in the shade, and drink a cerveza while the mother cooked and the children served the food. Each meal we had was better than the last, no small feat considering everything was made over a wood fire and without running water.

Q. Any future plans for this project?

This trip was my first time to Oaxaca, and I definitely intend on returning to explore more of the city and its surrounding municipalities. The different villages outside of town each have their crafts for which they’re popular, like black pottery and hand-woven rugs.  I’d love to photograph some of these artisans for a personal project that expands upon the role of traditional workmanship in the region. 

See more of Max’s work on his website.

Further Reading
Read more about Max Kelly.
Read more Photographer Spotlight articles about our other photographers.

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