Cándido García Cruz

The second son to Don Nicolás García and older brother to Celso, Cándido has followed in the footsteps of his forefathers, farming and distilling agave his entire life. Cándido, born in 1955, plied his trade through the prohibition years, which did not end in Miahuatlán until the the early 1980’s. His knowledge is extensive and his experience is reflected in his craft. Cándido hasn’t swallowed a sip of alcohol in nearly forty years, meaning that he makes his final alcohol adjustments using his sense of smell and by visually assessing the bubbles of the liquid that fall from the still. These bubbles, known as perlas, indicate the high proof of the distillate and the presence of terpenes and oils that carry long-lingering, robust flavors. Cándido’s destilados have a distinct flavor — su sazón —  clearly identifiable in every batch that we select for Neta. Much of this, of course, is derived from his own refined recipes and touch, but there is also something very special about the live water and native airborne yeasts that make for such fantastic spirits.

Soil type: colorada, roja, cascajo, and negra

Oven: 10-ton capacity, conical, earthen oven

Mashing: Machete and mechanical mill

Fermentation: 6 Montezuma cypress wood tanks. 1000 - 1200 liter capacity.

Distillation: Cándido uses two different copper pot stills, each with a 300 liter capacity. Every batch is twice distilled and composed using the a select cut of común from the first distillation and the heads and heart of the second distillation.