Madrecuixe + Tepextate + Tobalá | August 2023 | Miguel Osorio Gutiérrez | ENNMOG2402 | Fall 2024 release | 60 bottles | Aficionados
“El Grillo” is a much-loved and respected member of his community. Miguel Osorio Gutierrez descends from one of the founding families of Logoche on his mother’s side; they were palenqueros who settled the area for the clandestine distillation of various species of wild agave that grow in the hills and ravines. Full of jokes and good humor, Miguel is also a gifted artist, whose multiple talents beyond the palenque are sought after throughout the region. He is a skilled weaver of Cucharillo leaves, which he uses to create arches and decorative ornaments for weddings, where he is often invited to deliver cleverly worded versos sung at the events. When there is a death in the community, it is Miguel who arranges the tapete de arena, a sand painting left at the altar.
Despite not working out of his own palenque, Miguel grew up in shared production spaces where many individuals gathered to socialize and process their agave. With years of experience working with different agaves and learning from multiple generations of skilled producers, Tío Miguel possesses profound knowledge. Over the last decade, he has been planting an impressive variety of agave species on his land, although many of these magueyes are just beginning to mature. In the meantime, his productions remain small, crafting three or four batches a year, totaling around 300 liters annually.
This co-fermented field blend was made with a mix of cultivated Madrecuixe and wild Tepextate and Tobalá, harvested from red earth (tierra colorada) parcels of family land in Logoche and nearby Santa Cruz. The maestro finished his harvest on August 10, 2023. After lengthy resting periods that bookend an eight-day roast, Miguel macerated a nearly equal mix by weight of the different agaves. The fibers rested for 48 hours in a sabino wood tank until the sharp aromas and rising temperatures indicated it was time to add water. Approximately 500 liters of well water were added to the nearly 60 kg of dry fermented agave fibers, which were then mixed together, weighted down with river reeds and large stones, and left to ferment for an additional seven days.
Experimenting with a new recipe, Miguel decided to rest the low wines—known locally as shishe or ordinario—for several months before redistilling them at a time when he had fewer obligations in his fields and community. During a moment of downtime in February 2024, Miguel returned to the palenque to redistill his 120 liters of low wines. He separated the heads, hearts, and tails into 20-liter containers, blending a select mix of cuts until he was satisfied with the aromas, flavors, and the appearance of cordón cerrado bubbles corresponding with 47.5% alcohol content. This 50-liter batch was selected by the Aficionados Group during a visit to Oaxaca.
Maguey(es): Madrecuixe (A. karwinskii var.), Tepextate (A. marmorata var.), Tobalá (A. potatorum x A. seemanniana)
Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown Madrecuixe from Guamüchil, wild Tepextate and Tobalá from La Mina and Santa Cruz
Producer: Miguel Osorio Gutiérrez
Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán
Soil type: Red and rocky (tierra colorada)
Rest time after harvest: 8 days
Oven: Conical earthen pit, 8 days with mesquite wood
Rest time after oven: 9 days
Maceration: Machete and mechanical shredder
Fermentation: Native yeasts, in Montezuma cypress (sabino) wood tanks; 48 hours dry, 7 days wet
Distillation: Twice in copper pot stills
Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
Batch size: 50 liters
Date of distillation: First distillation in August 2023, redistilled in February 2024
ABV: 47.5%