Espadín capón | March 2021 | Celso García Cruz | ESPCEL2103 | Summer 2022 Release | Prestige Ledroit Exclusive | 258 Bottles

In March of 2021, Celso selected 18 piñas of ripe capón Espadín from his La Mina parcel of red, rocky cascajo earth for the crafting of this 200-liter batch. Co-planted alongside criollo corn, black beans, and squash, this mineral-rich stretch of land shared by the García family is ideal terrain for agave, and is where the production of many of the region’s finest sprits get their start.

After harvest, the plants were left to rest for three days before being roasted in an earthen oven with oak and mesquite wood for six days- a laborious task accomplished with help contributed by both family and neighbors. The cooked agaves were left to rest for three days, allowing for the plant matter to cool and soften as the long glucose chains break down into smaller and fermentable sugars.

After shredding with a combination of axe, machete, and mechanical shredder, approximately 1800kg of cooked Espadín was split evenly between three different 1,200L Montezuma cypress wood tanks and dry fermented for 24 hours. Well water was added in fairly equal parts, and after some gentle mixing, was left to ferment for eight days before the aromas, flavors, and visual cues from mash expressed their point of readiness to the maestro for distillation. Cuts were made to separate the heads, hearts, and tails, with the final cut used for composition being made at 40% alc. The second round of distillation took place on March 25, 2021, and was composed the following day using a careful mix of puntas, corazón, and small amount of distilled water. Like many productions, the work behind the making of this batch involved the entirety of the family. While Celso took charge of the heavy work and the bulk of the distillation, his wife, Felipe, their daughters Guadalupe and Gloria, and their son, Mario, all contributed along the way.

§  Maguey(es): Espadín Capón (Agave angustifolia var.)

§  Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown, La Mina parcel

§  Producer: Celso García Cruz

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca

§  Soil type: Red and rocky tierra cascajudo

§  Rest time after harvest: three days

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

§  Rest time after oven: three days

§  Maceration: Machete and shredder

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts, three 1200L capacity Montezuma cypress sabino wood tanks

§  Dry fermentation time: 24 hours

§  Wet fermentation time: six days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and a splash of distilled water

§  Batch size: 200L

§  Date of distillation: March 2021

§  ABV: 48.4%

MARIE NAKAZAWA