Espadín capón | July 2024 | Aniceto García | ESPANI2407 | Fall 2024 release | 102 bottles | Vine Trail UK

While NETA primarily collaborates with producing families in Logoche, we occasionally bottle small batches from our longtime friend, Aniceto García, in the nearby village of Yegosé. Aniceto combines traditional techniques with a deep respect for the land, hand-macerating agave with a wooden mazo, fermenting with spring water, and distilling twice in a copper pot still outfitted with a refrescadera. On his quarter-hectare of relatively flat land, he cultivates corn, beans, squash, garlic, and small quantities of agave, while his surrounding rugged hills are home to limestone-rich soils, wild Tepextate, Tobalá, and Coyote agaves. His mezcal is a reflection of the landscape, often blending wild and cultivated varieties.

This exceptional Espadín batch emerged through a medias partnership with a neighbor, where the agave grower provides ripe plants in exchange for half the production. In late May 2024, amid a heat wave and drought, Aniceto and his assistant, Silvano, harvested 1,500kg of eight-year-old capón Espadín from sandy limestone fields. After a 14-day dry fermentation, 200 liters of spring water were carefully added to each of the three tanks. Fermentation continued for another two weeks until the agave was ready for distillation. Using the refrescadera, Aniceto captured a special cut during the first distillation known locally as shishe macizo, which he later blended with heads and hearts from the second distillation to create the final batch.

This classic recipe, executed with Aniceto’s expertise, produced 200 liters of mezcal bottled at 54.9% ABV. Half of the batch went to the grower, 25 liters stayed with Aniceto for local sales, and 75 liters were reserved for NETA’s partners, Vine Trail in the UK and Mezcal Brothers in France. This remarkable spirit, embodying the flavors and traditions of Miahuatlán, is limited to just 102 bottles.

Maguey(es): Espadín (Agave angustifolia var.)
Provenance: Neighbor’s sandy limestone field
Producer: Aniceto García
Region: San Luis Amatlán, Miahuatlán
Soil Type: Sandy, rocky (tierra arenosa blanca rocosa)
Harvest Rest Time: Fifteen days
Oven: Conical earthen pit; roasted for ten days with mixed local hardwoods
Post-Roast Rest Time: Two days
Maceration: Machete and shredder
Fermentation: Native yeasts; Three Montezuma cypress vats with 1050kg cooked agave and 600L spring water total
Dry Fermentation: 14 days
Wet Fermentation: 14 days
Distillation: Twice in copper pot stills with refrescadera
Final Composition: Heads, hearts, and select cut of shishe macizo
Batch Size: 200 liters
Date of Distillation: July 2024
ABV: 54.9%

MARIE NAKAZAWASeptember 4, 2025