Mexicanito | April 2022 | Mario García Jarquín | MXNMRG2204 | Winter 2022 Release | 90 bottles
The Agave rhodacantha is a prolific species that grows throughout Mexico and manifests in many distinct forms and subspecies. In Oaxaca, many of these types are known by the colloquial name “Mexicano” or “Mexicanito” – the latter a diminutive reflective of the comparatively small size of some of these A. rhodacantha types. While certain characteristics may be intrinsic to any given species, the influence of different pollinators, soils, and elevations has contributed to the development on many distinct types of seemingly similar agaves. The agave used by Mario to make this tiny batch came from a small community in a lowland gap of the Sierra Madre del Sur, towards the most southwestern stretches of the district of Miahuatlán, and is a type not found in the valley.
Assisted by his family and with some additional guidance from his father, maestro palenquero Celso García Cruz, Mario worked this production from the oven through distillation, eventually composing 70L at 46.7% Alc. by Vol. using a careful blend of heads, hearts, and a select cut of high proof tails. 90 bottles have been made available through our partners at Agavera.
§ Maguey(es): Mexicanito (Agave rhodancantha var.)
§ Provenance of the maguey: Wild maguey from the sierra of Santa Lucia,
Miahuatlán
§ Producer: Mario García Jarquín
§ Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán
§ Date of production: April 2022
§ Soil type: red earth tierra roja
§ Rest time after harvest: one week
§ Oven: Conical earthen oven; six days with mesquite wood
§ Rest time after oven: four days
§ Maceration: Machete and mechanical shredder
§ Fermentation: Native yeasts; 1000kg agave divided between two 1200L
Montezuma cypress sabino wood vats
§ Dry fermentation time: three days
§ Wet fermentation time: eight days
§ Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
§ Final composition: heads, hearts, and a select cut of high proof tails
§ Batch size: 70L
§ ABV: 49%