Destilado de Agave 9th Floor - Tobala/Marteno

• Destilado distilled in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Edgar Angeles Carreño
• Produced in 2020 from 57% Tobalá (A. potatorum) and 43% Marteño (A. karwinskii)
• Cooked in a traditional earthen pit oven
• Milled by hand using a mazo in stone pit
• Fermented in traditional pine vats (tinas)
• Distilled twice using a Filipino-style still made of clay
• Confectionary aromas of chocolate malt balls, fried plantain, nutmeg, matcha pocky, dried dates & strawberry, with just a touch of lemon zest and fresh kiwi, followed by a dense and richly textured palate of pimento, cherry, wet clay, and roast pears, finishing with a strong mineral undercurrent…like drinking Oaxacan cacao con leche made in a rusty pot, in the best way possible.
• 172 bottles produced
• 52.8% ABV

This precious ensamble from Don Lorenzo’s son Edgar is an enviable blend of rare 12-year-old Tobalá (diminutive agave from Oaxaca’s Sierra Sur) and the rarer still 13-year-old Marteño (a unique subspecies of tall and slender Agave karwinskii, endemic only to specific communities of Oaxaca’s Central Valles). These two species—potatorum and karwinskii—are hallmarks of Minas, and despite its higher proof at nearly 53% ABV, the warmth, depth, and generosity that Edgar has coaxed from this batch seem to evoke memories of Don Lorenzo—his spirit and his spirits—with every sip. Nothing we’ve tasted since his passing has so clearly given us that feeling of experiencing something for the first time…again. This one is meant to cherish.

Tasting Notes

This batch is like a time machine. When Don Lorenzo, Graciela and Edgar’s father, passed away in 2016, the loss had a ripple effect across Santa Catarina Minas, across the mezcal scene in Mexico, and ultimately across the international mezcal world. Don Lorenzo had been a thought leader in so many ways, but chief among his significant contributions were his efforts in bringing the rural minero mezcal of his family’s community wider exposure and understanding. Don Lorenzo’s mezcales formed a baseline, the benchmark of that understanding, against which many of our first experiences of clay pot distillation were measured.

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