Ensamble Espadín, Jabalín, + Bicuixe | June 2021 | Wilfrido García Sánchez | ENNWGS2106 | Summer 2022 Release | Bearcat + Val's exclusive | 126 Bottles

Crafted with equal parts Espadín, Jabalín, and Bicuixe, this field blend was one of many stellar ensambles made by Wilfrido García Sánchez in 2021. Wili has been experimenting with the local Jabalín (Agave convallis var.) for a number of years, and has developed a preference for mixing it with other magueyes instead of fermenting and distilling these saponin-rich plants on their own. The aromas and flavors of the Jabalín are nearly always dominant, but interplay well with other magueyes. The ensambles of Jabalín with Agave karwinskii types and Espadín are becoming modern classics in Logoche as producers continuously explore the range of flavor and aromas that their lands and techniques are capable of expressing.

Approximately 400kg of capón Espadín harvested from Wili´s El Llano parcel was mixed with similar quantities of wild harvest Jabalín and Bicuixe from nearby rocky and steep, purpled earthen hillsides. Wilfrido ran a slow distillation, as is necessary when working with Jabalín, and with a mix of heads, hearts, and a high-proof cut of tails, composed 100L at 46.6%ABV.

§  Maguey(es): Ensamble of Espadín, Jabalín, and Bicuixe (equal parts)

§  Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown Espadín, wild Jabalín and Bicuixe

§  Producer: Wilfrido García Sánchez

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca

§  Soil type: Espadín from red earth tierra colorada; Jabalín and Bicuixe from rocky hillsides and purple earth (cerro pedregoso de tierra morada)

§  Rest time after harvest: three days

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

§  Rest time after oven: five days

§  Maceration: Machete and shredder

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts, two 1200L capacity Montezuma cypress sabino wood tank

§  Dry fermentation time: 24 hours

§  Wet fermentation time:  six days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails

§  Batch size: 100L

§  Date of distillation: June 2021

§  ABV: 46.6%