Quiote de Tobalá | May 2024 | Nicolás García Vásquez | QUINGV2405 | Fall 2024 release | 42 bottles | Spago

Crafted by Nicolás García Vásquez, son of the legendary Tomás García Cruz, this experimental batch was made in May 2024 from 90 burgeoning flower stalks, or quiotes, cut and collected from seven- and eight-year-old mature Tobalá agaves cultivated in the rocky black soil of the family's La Mina parcel. The ancient practice of "castrating" the maguey redirects the plant’s energy back into the heart of the agave, increasing the size and sugar content of the piña and enhancing the flavors and aromas. This traditional technique, though largely forgotten, was once common among Mesoamerican peoples who relied on agave as a primary food source.

While quiote is generally not used for fermentation and distillation today, it still has culinary significance. Local cooks roast and mash quiote, mixing its sweet fibers with corn dough to create a masa for tostadas—a seasonal treat during the months of June through August.

Nicolás and his son Miguel used 350 kg of quiote from recently sprouted stalks (about 2-3 feet each) to craft this 35-liter batch. After roasting alongside agave, the quiote underwent three days of dry fermentation, followed by nine days of wet fermentation with 500 liters of well water. Twice distilled in copper pot stills, this mezcal is a careful balance of heads, hearts, and tails. The result is an exclusive bottling selected for Spago in Beverly Hills.

  • Maguey: Quiote (flower stalk) of Tobalá (A. potatorum x A. semanniana)

  • Provenance: La Mina parcel, homegrown

  • Producer: Nicolás García Vásquez

  • Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán

  • Soil Type: Black, rocky earth (negro con piedra)

  • Rest After Harvest: 8 days

  • Oven: Conical earthen pit, 8 days with mesquite and oak wood

  • Rest After Oven: 3 days

  • Maceration: Tractor-drawn stone mill

  • Fermentation: Native yeasts, 72 hours dry, 9 days wet, 1200L Montezuma cypress tanks

  • Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills

  • Final Composition: Heads, hearts, and tails

  • Batch Size: 35 liters

  • Date of Distillation: May 2024

  • ABV: 46.1%

MARIE NAKAZAWA