Rayo Seco Pioneros Gold Medal at Spirits Selection 2026 in Portugal, Digi Mart USA News (Metepec, Mexico): Rayo Seco Pioneros, an artisanal Mexican distilled spirit produced in Zumpahuacán, received the Grand Gold Medal at the Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2026. The international competition was held on the island of Madeira, Portugal.
According to the report, the contest is considered one of the most rigorous and prestigious in the world for evaluating spirits, with specialized jurors scoring samples through blind tastings. The award comes nearly a year after the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property formalized the inclusion of 15 municipalities in the State of Mexico into the Mezcal Denomination of Origin.
The brand’s story began around 2020 as a creative response to legal restrictions that temporarily prevented the use of the word mezcal. Brothers Mario and Daniel Escudero, working with master mezcalero Miguel Cevero and Edgar Salazar, launched the product under the name “Vino de Maguey,” turning adversity into a distinctive mark of local identity.
The distillation process preserves ancestral techniques tied to the southern territory of the State of Mexico. One notable feature is distillation in caxcomite, a traditional method that combines copper elements with colorín wood, using long-matured criollo maguey to achieve a complex sensory profile.
The win is part of a historic showing for the State of Mexico delegation, which earned a total of 13 medals in the mezcal category. The state ranked as the second most awarded in the country at the competition, ahead of traditional mezcal regions such as Oaxaca, Michoacán and Guerrero.
The State of Mexico’s participation was supported by the Council of Chambers and Business Associations of the State of Mexico (CONCAEM), which coordinated logistics and support for the delegation of 30 samples. The sector was also represented on the judging panel through Alejandro Reza Hernández, president of the Association of Agave and Mezcal Producers in the state.
The report describes the achievement as a milestone for the state’s producing communities, farmers and master distillers. The results in Portugal are presented as the start of a new phase of global visibility for the State of Mexico and its distilled agave spirits.
