Cucharillo | March 2023 | Celso García Cruz | CHRCEL2303 | Fall 2023 release | 72 bottles | Vineyard Road

The “Cucharillo” used in this production is a tall, thick-trunked, and leafy plant with no serrations, and would be called a type of “Bear Grass” in English. Although part of the Asparagaceae family, this “Cucharillo” is of the genus Nolina and is not an agave. These plants grow above 6,000ft in the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur, and have been used traditionally as construction and roofing material. Similar to the Dasylirion plants of the valley known by the same name, the leaves of these “Cucharillo” plants resemble the shape of spoon when removed from the stem of the plant, and in many communities are used as a utensil. These Nolina plants are perhaps more similar to Yucca than Agave but can be differentiated by the particularities in their flowering structure and form. Prior to Celso’s use of these plants in Mach 2023, we are unaware of the use of this genus for the purpose of distillation anywhere in Mexico.

Seventy of these Nolina plants were harvested in the wild by magueyeros in the sierra of Santa Lucia, Miahuatlán in January 2023 before being taken to the palenque of don Celso for processing. After roasting with mesquite and oak for seven days, the maestro divided up approximately 1,800kg between three Montezuma cypress fermentation vats. After shredding, the fermentation process required nine days before distillation began. Composed with a careful mix of hearts, hearts, and tails, this experimental batch yielded a total of only fifty-five liters at 47.4% Alc. by Vol. and has been selected as an exclusive pick by our distribution partners in Massachusetts, Vineyard Road.

§  Maguey(es): Cucharillo (Nolina sp.)

§  Provenance of the maguey: Wild harvested from the sierra of Santa Lucia Tamazulapan, Miahuatlán

§  Producer: Celso García Cruz

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

§  Soil type: red earth tierra roja

§  Rest time after harvest: 20 days

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

§  Rest time after oven: 12 days

§  Maceration: Machete and shredder

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

§  Dry fermentation time: 48 hours

§  Wet fermentation time:  seven days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails

§  Batch size: 55L

§  Date of distillation: March 2023

§  ABV: 47.4%