Alto Valle

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Country of Origin: Mexico
Location: Ameca
People: Esteban Morales Garibi, Owner

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From Esteban Morales, the visionary mind behind La Venenosa Raicilla and La Higuera Sotol, comes Alto Valle Rum, a tribute to Jalisco’s volcanic valleys and their thriving sugarcane fields.

For over 15 years, Morales has traversed the state of Jalisco, building relationships with growers and distillers across its diverse terroirs. Passing through the Valles de Jalisco time and again, he was captivated by the region’s abundance of sugarcane, nurtured by mineral-rich volcanic soils and high-altitude sunlight. Inspired by this landscape, he created Alto Valle (or “High Valley”), which is named to honor the importance of both altitude and soil in sugarcane’s growth and expression.

Why Piloncillo? Sugarcane harvest season in Jalisco is brief, spanning only from November to February. This is too short to sustain a traditional rhum agricole-style production year-round. To honor the raw purity of the sugarcane while ensuring continuous production, Morales turned to piloncillo, a traditional Mexican unrefined sugar made from pure cane juice.

Piloncillo is crafted by boiling fresh cane juice, then pouring it into cone-shaped molds to harden. Unlike refined sugar, it is never centrifuged, so it retains its natural molasses, minerals, and depth of flavor. Working with local families who produce piloncillo, Alto Valle transforms this time-honored ingredient into rum that carries the full character of the sugarcane itself.