Tepextate + Coyote | February 2023 | Aniceto García | TPXANI2302 | Summer 2023 Release | 48 bottles | Mírate

TPXANI2302 | TEPEXTATE + COYOTE | ANICETO GARCÍA | FEBRUARY 2023 | 48 BOTTLES

This batch was composed with 18 piñas of Tepextate and one large Coyote, which the maestro estimated to weight about 40kg. These agaves grow in the wild on the rugged hills above Aniceto’s ranch, sharing the chalky limestone, white topsoil terrain along with cacti, copal, and a diverse mix of other flora and fauna. “Tio Cheto”, as he known by friends, comes from a long tradition of distillers working with these native agaves, and knows the tricks and nuances to working with them. Resting times are crucial, and he does not allow too much time to pass between the harvest and roasting, and little time between the roast and maceration. Tepextate and Coyote ferment quickly in general, but the mashing of cooked agave with a wooden mallet creates allows for the collection of extra juices and requires the use of less water, also facilitating a faster fermentation time. Two days after uncovering the cooked agave, roasted with a protective layer of pencas and banana leaf, Aniceto was ready to distill.

Aniceto follows a recipe for distillation using the same materials and techniques shown to him by his grandfather: a copper boiler pot and cap, fitted with a refrescadera cooling jacket. Unlike some other methods in the vicinity, Aniceto fills the refrescadera with cool water three times during each round of distillation, or postura. A select cut of high proof liquid from this first round, which he refers to as shishe macizo, is separated and used to lower the final alcohol content of the heads and hearts cuts later selected from the rectification in the second distillation. Approximately 2 liters of shishe macizo was separated and used to compose a total of 40 liters with an extremely aromatic nose and cordon cerrado at 49.4% ALC.

  • §  Maguey(es): Tepextate and Coyote (A. marmorata var. & A. sp)

  • §  Provenance of the maguey: Wild maguey harvested on family land

  • §  Producer: Aniceto García

  • §  Region: Yegosé, Miahuatlán

  • §  Soil type: white and rocky limestone tierra blanca rocosa y cascajudo

  • §  Rest time after harvest: six days

  • §  Oven: Conical earthen pit; eight days with mesquite and algaroble wood

  • §  Rest time after oven: two days

  • §  Maceration: machete and wooden mazo

  • §  Fermentation: Native yeasts; one 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood tank with approx.

    550kg of cooked agave and 100L of natural spring water

  • §  Dry fermentation time: 24 hours

  • §  Wet fermentation time: two days

  • §  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills with a refrescadera

  • §  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and a select cut of shishe macizo

  • §  Batch size: 40L

  • §  Date of distillation: February 2023

  • §  ABV: 49.4%

MARIE NAKAZAWA