Espadín capón + Madrecuixe capón | May 2019 | Ranulfo García Pacheco | ENSRAN1905 | Winter 2022 Release | 126 bottles

Made over the course the months of Abril and May 2019, this batch was one of the last productions made by maestro palenquero Ranulfo García Pacheco before his retirement. Today, he plays a supervisory role while his son, Ranulfo Jr. conducts the crafting from harvest through distillation. As is tradition in their community of El Sauz, Miahuatlán, distillation takes places with the assistance of a refrescadera, a type of cooling jacket mounted to the still cap. No plates are involved, but the addition of cool water to the refrescadera allows for a highly efficient condensation of vapors in the still and permits the capturing of a high-proof spirit from a single round of distillation of the fermented agave juices and fibers. There is no final composition of different cuts, just the consolidation of the carefully monitored and captured perla rich liquids, which range from around 60% to about 40% Alc. by Vol. and create what is known as a cordón cerrado. This tell-tale aesthetic cue of a closed honeycomb of long lingering bubbles is the hallmark sign of quality amongst producers.

In the crafting of this batch, Ranulfo used an equal part mix of one-year capón Espadín with one and two-year capón Madrecuixe magueys to fill two 1200L Montezuma cypress fermentation vats. While majority of the production stayed with Ranulfo for local consumption in the region, NETA was able to secure 100L of this prototypical Miahuatlán ensamble, which has been selected as an exclusive release by the Austin Shaker. Only 126 bottles are in existence.

§  Maguey(es): 50% Espadín capón + 50% Madrecuixe capón

§  Provenance of the maguey: homegrown

§  Producer: Ranulfo García Pacheco

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

§  Date of production: May 2019

§  Soil type: rocky red and white tierra cascajudo

§  Rest time after harvest: ten days

§  Oven: Conical earthen oven; six days with mesquite wood

§  Rest time after oven: five days

§  Maceration: Ox-drawn stone mill

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts; one 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood vat

§  Dry fermentation time: 48 hours

§  Wet fermentation time: 10 days

§  Distillation: 1x in copper pot stills with a refrescadera

§  Final composition: cordon cerrado

§  Batch size: 220L

§  ABV: 47%