Mezcal, Karwinskii fka Cenizo, 'Don Chucho', El Jolgorio (BB)

• Mezcal produced in Santa Maria Zoquitlan, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Ignacio “Don Chucho” Parada
• 100% Cenizo (Agave karwinskii)
• Cooked in a conical earthen pit oven
• Ground using a traditional stone mill (tahona)
• Fermented in open-air wooden vats (tinas) 
• Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills 
• 48% ABV (ABV may change from batch to batch)

Cenizo has a complicated meaning in mezcal. Translating loosely as “ashen,” the term is often applied to strains of agave whose leaves (pencas) have a grey hue to them, regardless of the botanical variety. El Jolgorio’s Cenizo is one such example, a subvarietal of the wide-ranging Agave karwinskii species.

However, under current certification standards, the term has been narrowed for consumer clarity and now may only be used to apply to a northern variety, Agave durangensis, where the term is far more commonplace. This has resulted in El Jolgorio rebranding their Cenizo simply with the botanical name, Agave karwinskii, deferring to the restriction of the nomenclature historically used by mezcaleros.

Cenizo (A. karwinskii) is a special release from El Jolgorio, with intense aromas of green banana, peppercorn and fried peanuts balancing out its high proof. Offered in a distinctive black glass reminiscent of the black clay jugs mezcal was historically stored in, the opaque bottle accentuates the preciousness and singularity of the spirit inside.