Coyote cultivado | May 2022 | Tomás García Cruz | COYTGC2205 | Summer 2023 release | 84 bottles | La Josie

COYTGC2205 | COYOTE CULTIVADO | TOMÁS GARCÍA CRUZ | MAY 2022 | LA JOSIE

This tiny production is the fruit of experimentation and a true labor of love. The (often) small sized maguey known in Miahuatlán as Coyote is a special hybrid between Tobalá (can be A. potatorum and/or A. seemanniana) and various types of A. karwinskii. In the area around San Luis Amatlán, it is most often the Madrecuixe that acts as the progenitor, sharing common flowering times and pollinators with the multitude of different Tobalá type plants. As a result, Coyote was up until recently only found in the wild, in the borderlands between Tobalá and A. karwinskii populations, and takes around 12-15 years to mature. Either maguey can create seeds that will germinate into Coyote plants, but the A. karwinskii seems to produce significantly more. When growing from seed, this sort of hybridization by the Madrecuixe is so common that many growers prefer to clone mother plants to guarantee the genetic continuity of this cultivar.  

Don Tomás has been planting agave since he was a child, but only began to cultivate Coyote in 2016, selecting this hybrid expression out of a large pool of sprouted Madrecuixe seeds. Planted in a rocky, black earth parcel and receiving great care and healthy amounts of organic fertilizer, these magueyes began to mature in 2021. After cutting the burgeoning flower stalks, he and his sons returned in April of 2022 and selected 50 piñas that totaled around 600kg. Thoroughly impressed by the rapid maturation times and decent yield, Tomás and others in Logoche have begun to plant significant amounts of Coyote and are elated to be able to work with such a prized and rare maguey. The cultivation of micro-endemic species and varieties not only encourages the conservation of these plants but assists tremendously in helping to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem. After finishing distillation in late May 2022 and letting the liquid rest for three days, don Tomás blended a mix of of heads, hearts, and high proof tails and composed 70L at 49.4% ABV.

§  Maguey(es): Coyote cultivado 1-year capón (Tobalá type x Agave karwinskii)

§  Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown, El Tunillo parcel

§  Producer: Tomás Garciá Cruz

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

§  Soil type: Rocky and black tierra pedregosa

§  Rest time after harvest: eight days

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

§  Rest time after oven: three days

§  Maceration: Machete and shredder

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts and well water; one 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood tank with 600kg of cooked agave

§  Dry fermentation time: 48 hours

§  Wet fermentation time:  seven days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails

§  Batch size: 70L

§  Date of distillation: May 2022

§  ABV: 49.4%