In the days leading up to the full moon of December 18, 2021, Gilberto harvested 64 piñas of fully ripe Espadín from the rocky red and white parcel of family land just south of Logoche. From his contacts with magueyeros just south in the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur, he acquired 120 piñas of wild Tepextate. After roasting the agave with mesquite wood and leaving the earthen oven covered for 15 days, the 4,500kg of caramelized maguey was macerated and the fibers placed into six Montezuma cypress fermentation vats. Twenty-four hours later, the temperatures and aromas indicated that they were ready for water. While Tepextate is generally a fast-fermenting maguey because of its low sugar content, the addition of the high-in-sugar Espadín required an additional eight days of fermentation before the mash was ready to distill. Using a careful blend of heads, hearts, and tails, Gilberto composed a total of 280L at 48% Alc. by Vol.

This batch was selected for its archetypical flavors that reflect that lands, plants, and craftsmanship that went into its production. Through our partners at Mextrade, 240 bottles are now available in Australia.

§  Maguey(es): 50% Espadín + 50% Tepextate

§  Provenance of the maguey: Cultivated Espadín from San Luis Amatlán, wild Tepextate from San Andres Paxtlán

§  Producer: Gilberto Aquino García

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

§  Date of production: March 2023

§  Soil type: white, rocky cascajo blanco

§  Rest time after harvest: six weeks

§  Oven: Conical earthen oven; 15 days with mesquite wood

§  Rest time after oven: three days

§  Maceration: Machete and mechanical shredder

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts; six 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood vats

§  Dry fermentation time: 24 hours

§  Wet fermentation time: eight days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and high proof tails

§  Batch size: 290

§  ABV: 48%