Destilado de Agave, Espadin Penca Corta de Milpa 'Saturnino Juarez'

• Destilado de agave produced in Miahuatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico
• Maestro Mezcalero Saturnino Juarez
• Produced from 100% Espadín Penca Corta (A. angustifolia) cultivated in the traditional milpa farming method among corn, beans, and squash
• Cooked in an underground conical oven using mesquite and cypress wood
• Rested after cooking for approximately 20 days 
• Milled using traditional ox-drawn stone tahona mill 
• Fermented 5–7 days in open air cypress and pine vats (tinas) 
• Distilled once using traditional copper pot stills with refrescadera (condenser)
• 100 liters produced in 2022
• White pepper, salted caramel, strawberries, cherry hard candy, copal, grilled mango, and a whisper of sharp cheddar
• 50.9% ABV

The qualifier “Espadín Penca Corta’ denotes distinct strains, typically in Miahuatlán, of Agave angustifolia that have developed shorter, wider pencas (leaves) than the typical Espadín found commonly growing across the Central Valles—hence “corta” meaning “cut.” Maestro mezcalero Saturnino Juarez and his son Ignacio cultivate their own agave on lands surrounding their palenque, grown among other subsistence crops using the historic indigenous milpa agricultural method of cross cultivation, meaning that plants are all woven among one another rather than separated by field or even row. This results in wildly different exposure to nutrients in the soil and yeasts in the field, in turn yielding a totally different experience of the species than the agaves harvested from a relative monoculture. 

Saturnino himself is something of a mysterious legend in Miahuateco mezcal circles; a notable maestro for decades, he had all but retired until his son began collaborating with their cousin/nephew Marco Ochoa on Marco’s new Gusto Historico label. Not to be left out, Saturnino has been distilling one or two batches per year for the brand, each one distinct and superlative in quality, often upending expectations of region and varietal. This batch in particular is a powerful lesson to any mezcal enthusiast who assumes they’ve fully explored the limits of Espadín: By exploring the history and complexity of Oaxacan mezcal, in this case both the unique growth pattern of Penca Corta angustifolia and the milpa farming system, our minds are once again blown wide open by the depth of traditional mezcal.