Espadín 2015 | Cándido García Cruz | Spring 2019/Winter 2020 Release | ESPLOG-001 | 216 Bottles

Though the variety of Agave angustifolia commonly known as Espadín is now widespread in Oaxaca, it is not actually native to the region. Some claim that Espadín began to appear in Oaxaca as early as the 1930’s, but most references date its arrival several decades later when government programs and Matatlán-based business interests began to promote its cultivation. Because Espadín yields well, reproduces easily, and matures quickly, it is prized as a cash crop and is planted widely throughout the state. However, a spirit made from this agave should not be overlooked just because of the ubiquity of its raw material. In fact, precisely for this reason, Espadín serves as an excellent lens for understanding the different terrains and production methods of Oaxaca. A quality Espadín, like this 2015 production from maestro Candido García Cruz, is a reflection both of the spirit’s place of origin and the skill of its maker.

Candido works with quiotudo agaves, meaning he cuts each plant’s quiote before it has a chance to flower. This method, which concentrates the agave’s sugar in the piña rather than sending the energy towards reproduction, requires extra time for each plant to fully ripen in the fields. The extra time improves the yield of each piña and develops a richness of flavor not found in less mature agave.

In March 2015, under the light of a full moon, Candido and his family harvested 90 gigantic, quiotudo Espadín plants from a mineral-rich tierra colorada parcel of their land. On this parcel, they grow their maguey alongside alternating crops of the corn, beans, and squash that provide much of the food for their family. Later that month, they roasted the sugar-rich piñas with mesquite wood in their earthen oven. After unearthing the agave, the caramelized piñas rested for a week before being chopped by machete and passed through a mechanical mill. The dry fibers were let to sit for two days before they added filtered water to the Montezuma cypress fermentation tanks. Espadín, as any well-cooked maguey with a high sugar content, requires a relatively long fermentation time, and in this case, demanded 16 days in water before the tepache was ready for distillation. No longer as agile as he was in his youth, Candido now often plays a supervisory role in his productions – though he remains a present participant in each step of the process. To produce this lot, Candido worked the copper pot stills with his two daughters. Adjusting the richness of the batch with heads, hearts, and común macizo, they yielded roughly 900 liters of this exceptional destilado de Espadín we are proud to share with you.