Tobalá, Mexicano Verde, Bicuixe, Coyote, Belató | June 2022 | Daniel Cruz Maldonado | ENWDCZ2206 | Summer 2023 release | 60 bottles | Duke's Liquor Box + Oxomoco selection

ENWDCZ2206 | TOBALÁ, MEXICANO VERDE, BICUIXE, COYOTE, BELATÓ | DANIEL CRUZ MALDONADO | JUNE 2022 

Daniel Cruz Maldonado has been working with maguey since he was a child, processing small amounts annually of his home grown and wild harvest agave at the palenques of different family members and compadres in Logoche. Daniel is expecting to see his profound cultivation efforts come to bloom in the coming years and has started to construct a full palenque at his family’s ranch.

This batch was crafted at the palenque of Cutberto Aquino, his compadre and neighbor across the Rio Guishe that runs through town. Made from a mix of five different species of agave, Daniel combined some of the rarest varieties in the region. Using nearly equal parts by weight of wild Tobalá, cultivated Mexicano Verde (a local Agave rhodacantha type), wild Bicuixe, and wild Coyote, one large and heavy piña of Belato was thrown into the mix. Endemic to San Luis Amatlán, this ashy blue leafed Agave americana type is extraordinarily rare and only cultivated in small amounts by a handful of families in the region. The nomenclature comes from the belato larvae (probably the Comadia redtenbacheri) that are collected from the leaves of maguey and various aromatic and leafy plants that often grow adjacent to the agave fields.

The aromas and flavors of this field blend are quintessential of the region and are reflective of the extensive agricultural and gastronomic traditions of Miahuatlán. A few sips delight the olfactory and palate while invoking a tremendous sense of place. After an eleven-day fermentation with well water, the mash was twice distilled in copper pots. Carefully mixed with a blend of heads, hearts, and high proof tails, Daniel composed a total of 70 liters at 46.8% abv.

§  Maguey(es): Tobalá (Agave potatorum x Agave seemanniana), Mexicano Verde (Agave rhodacantha var.), Bicuixe (Agave karwinskii var.), Coyote (Agave sp.), Belató (Agave americana var.)

§  Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown and wild harvested agave from family land

§  Producer: Daniel Cruz Maldonado

§  Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

§  Soil type: mix of tierra colorada, tierra blanca, and tierra roja

§  Rest time after harvest: eight days

§  Oven: Conical earthen pit; 10 days with mesquite

§  Rest time after oven: six days

§  Maceration: Machete and shredder

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts and well water; one 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood tank with 650kg of cooked agave

§  Dry fermentation time: 48 hours

§  Wet fermentation time: nine days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails

§  Batch size: 70L

§  Date of distillation:

§  ABV: 46.8% ABV