Destilado de Agave Espadín Criollo con Gusano

• Mezcal distilled in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Gonzalo Martínez Sernas
• 100% Espadín Criollo (A. angustifolia var. rubescens)
• Cooked in a conical earthen oven using pine and mesquite
• Milled using a horse-drawn stone tahona
• Fermented in Encino oak vats (tinas) using deep well water
• Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills; moth larvae (Comadia redtenbacheri) added on the second pass
• Rested in glass demijohns for 6 years before bottling
• Heavy and dense with a distinctly earthy, oxidative profile; savory notes of toasted nuts, old linen, damp soil, and dry landjäger mingle with a touch of orchard fruit, sweet potato, and dried cherry
• Distilled in June 2018; 164 liters produced
• 49% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

While the gusano is most famous for its role in marketing cheap, inferior mezcal to the masses, it is in fact one of many ingredients which may have been added to mezcal production historically—alongside fruit, root, and even venomous snake—whether for flavoring or for curative purposes; the “worm” (typically the larvae of the agave redworm moth) was likely added to the spirit to enhance virility and energy. While it is uncommon to find commercial bottlings of gusano mezcal from respectable artesanal brands, the practice is indeed carried on by many traditional mezcaleros, and tasting the impact of this particular protein on well-made mezcal—particularly when the gusano is added to the spirit during distillation—sheds a fascinating new light on the shadowy urban myth of this notorious little stowaway. Just don’t expect to find a worm in the bottle.

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