Ensamble de Madrecuixe, Bicuixe, Espadín 2018 | Ranulfo García Pacheco | Spring 2019 Release | ENSRAN-001 | 240 Bottles

Available through Of Spine and Vine in Northern California

Ranulfo has been distilling agave spirits consistently for over four decades, working principally with the same three varieties of maguey: Madrecuixe, Bicuixe, and Espadín. Though the maestro will often distill single-agave productions, he usually combines different varietals to produce an ensamble, like the one we’re excited to share with you this spring. The different agave are roasted, macerated, fermented, and distilled together — true ensambles are never composed of cold blends of finished spirits. Producing an ensamble is one of the oldest methods of agave distillation. Working with the perfectly ripe agave of any number of species, this traditional approach to crop management and distilling helps sustain a healthy supply of maguey and produces a complex and flavorful spirit.

For this approximately 800-liter batch, Ranulfo harvested a mix of fully mature Madrecuixe, Bicuixe, and Espadín agaves from the lands that neighbor his ranch in El Sauz, Miahuatlán. Unlike the palenqueros of Lachigüizo and most other villages in the region, Ranulfo continues to use a refrescadera with his copper pot still. Distilling with a refrescadera, a stainless-steel cylinder which is placed around the cap of the still and filled with cold water, can yield a high proof spirit in a single distillation. Doing it well, however, demands a well-learned palate and significant experience. As the fermented agave liquid boils in the pot below, the vapors rise and, with the help of the cold refrescadera, condense, falling back into the boiler pot below. There they are heated again before they finally pass through the copper condensing coil and, now liquid, fall into the containers the maestro has set to capture them. Ranulfo fills his refrescadera four times and carefully selects multiple cuts from each run of the still. With his cuts, he is separating the perla-rich “cordon” liquid from the tails which he calls shishe or colas.

This shishe is in turn mixed into the next postura of ready to be distilled fermented agave juices and fibers. Distilling with a refrescadera is an old and now slightly unusual technique, but it yields a chemically clean spirit with an array of robust flavors. Every sip lends a remarkable sense of place and could not be more Miahuateco.

Ranulfo is a master of traditional distillation techniques and has honed his recipes over the decades. To produce each lot, he uses only his senses and the classic palenquero utensils – a jicara and venencia. This ensamble is an exemplary representation of his craft and a tangible reflection of the lands where it was made.