Destilado de Agave Ensamble Crassispina/Maguey Blanco/Arroqueno

• Destilado de agave produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Gonzalo Martinez Sernas
• Made from an ensamble of Crassispina, Maguey Blanco, and Arroqueño (A. salmiana / A. americana / A. americana)
• Cooked in conical earthen pit oven using pine and mesquite wood
• Milled using traditional horse-drawn stone tahona
• Fermented in Encino oak vats (tinas) using proprietary well water
• Distilled twice in a copper pot still
• Rested for 13 months in glass
• A relative of Agave marmorata (aka Tepeztate), Agave salmiana is often associated with a bold, faintly floral, green, and garden-fresh pepper quality which appears distinctly here, offering a cooling and savory balance to the rich, sweet depths of salted caramel, butterscotch, and corn silk delivered by the doubled Agave americana.
• 89 liters produced
• 54.8% ABV

Not only does this ensamble feature two different subspecies of Agave americana—the rare Arroqueño and the rarer still Blanco—but it pairs those two behemoth varieties with Crassispina, a subspecies of Agave salmiana scarcely distilled in Oaxaca, but which is widely used further north in states such as San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala, and Durango. 

The agave species A. americana and A. salmiana are the two most commonly used to produce pulque, the historic antecedent of agave-based beverage alcohol. The Martinez Sernas family were pulqueros for generations before they were mezcaleros, and their diverse, aggressive cultivation of agave originally for that purpose is one of the assets which has helped Macurichos to stand apart as a unique farming and distilling family in Santiago Matatlán.

Tasting Notes

Not only does this ensamble feature two different subspecies of Agave americana—the rare Arroqueño and the rarer still Blanco—but it pairs those two behemoth varieties with Crassispina, a subspecies of Agave salmiana scarcely distilled in Oaxaca, but which is widely used further north in states such as San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala, and Durango. 

The agave species A. americana and salmiana are the two most commonly used to produce pulque, the historic antecedent of agave-based beverage alcohol. The Martinez Sernas family were pulqueros for generations before they were mezcaleros, and their diverse, aggressive cultivation of agave originally for that purpose is one of the assets which has helped Macurichos to stand apart as a unique farming and distilling family in Santiago Matatlán.

A relative of Agave marmorata (aka Tepeztate), Agave salmiana is often associated with a bold, faintly floral, green, and garden-fresh pepper quality which appears distinctly here, offering a cooling and savory balance to the rich, sweet depths of salted caramel, butterscotch, and corn silk delivered by the doubled Agave americana. A wild ride that leads with intensity and tremendous complexity but softens and blossoms into a ripe and refreshing spirit, this mezcal will reward patient drinkers—it will open up more and more as it breathes, whether in your glass or in your bottle (where it may continue to evolve delightfully for months or even years).

That potential is really a remarkable prospect considering how well it drinks straight out of the bottle; the batch is joyful yet complex, and at nearly 55% ABV it glides past the palate deceptively. At only 89 bottles produced, this is an exemplary batch reflecting the qualities which make Macurichos such a unique label.

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