Tepextate | May 2021 | Gilberto Aquino Garcia | TPXGLA2105 | Winter 2022 Release | 162 bottles

Youngest son to Maestro Cutberto Aquino and María García Cruz, Gilberto carries on the multi-generational traditions that have been passed down through both sides of his family. He is part of a younger generation of palenqueros that partly came of age working in the States and have now returned home to dedicate themselves to the nurturing of their families and communities by taking advantage of new opportunities related to agave cultivated and distillation.

Gilberto cultivates multiple species of agave, but in May 2021, he obtained these 30 piñas of guía and capón Tepextate through his wife ́s family outside of the village of El Palmar, located to the northeast of Logoche. This isolated area, with its steep rocky terrain and mostly white calcium-rich soils, is itself home to rich traditions of gastronomy and distillation, and is renowned for the quality of the Tepextate, Tobala, and Coyote that grow wild there. We thought this was one of the most expressive and delicious batches of 2021, so it came as no surprise when it was selected by Astor Wines & Spirits for an exclusive release of 162 bottles.

  • §  Maguey(es): Tepextate (Agave marmorata var.)

  • §  Provenance of the maguey: Wild agave from nearby family land (1800-

    2,000m elevation); mix of guía and capón

  • §  Producer: Gilberto Aquino García

  • §  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

  • §  Soil type: white soil, rock

  • §  Rest time after harvest: Three days

  • §  Oven: Conical earthen pit; 12 days with mesquite and tepehuaje wood

  • §  Rest time after oven: Four days

  • §  Maceration: Machete and shredder

  • §  Fermentation: Native yeasts; Two 1200L capacity Montezuma cypress sabino

    wood tanks.

  • §  Dry fermentation time: 48 hours

  • §  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

  • §  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails

  • §  Batch size: 125L

  • §  Date of distillation: May 2021

  • §  ABV: 47.9%

MARIE NAKAZAWA