Destilado de Agave, 'Ensamble, Azul and Chato'

• Destilado de agave produced in Amatitán, Jalisco
• Maestro Tequilero Javier Jiménez Vizcarra
• Produced from estate-grown agave, approximately 51% Azul (Agave tequilana) and 49% Chato (Agave angustifolia)
• Steam cooked in a 150-year-old brick oven
• Mechanically milled 
• Open fermented for 7 days in stainless steel
• Distilled twice: first pass in a small stainless steel pot still, second pass on a larger copper pot still
• 978 bottles produced
• Peanut crumble, old bottle caps, subtle Nilla Wafer, aloe vera, shaved asparagus, goji berry, bay leaf, snow pea, cherry pit, sea salt, candied yam, and a whisper of citrus zest
• 52.3% ABV

Not technically certified as either tequila or mezcal, this may be as close as we come today to the unique spirit that made Vino de Mezcal de Tequila famous in the late 19th century. 100% Azul, also known as Blue Weber, is processed and distilled in the same method the family has used since 1873. This batch is a particularly rare and special example of this philosophy; historically, around nine varieties of agave were actively used to produce vino de mezcal de Tequila—primarily various subspecies of Agave angustifolia. In 1964, a new NOM certification standard was instituted, and a few powerful players influenced the revised regulations to require the exclusive use of Agave tequilana. This has been among the reasons that Caballito Cerrero left the denomination of origin and has chosen not to certify their products, opting instead to preserve the deeper heritage and agave diversity of pre-1964 Jalisco. Though their 100% Chato varietals have been in circulation since 2018, this batch—spurred on by the thought leaders at Heavy Metl Imports—represents the first time there has been a true field blend of the family’s two agave species since they began exportation.