Coyote + Tobalá| Florencia y Guadalupe Aquino García| February 2026 | ENNFLA2602 | 47.6% ABV | 30 Bottles | Bar Sótano + Estereo
In the days surrounding the full moon at the beginning of January 2026, sisters Florencia and María Guadalupe Aquino García harvested a mix of wild Tobalá and Coyote growing together on the red, rocky slopes of their family land on the outskirts of Logoche. Although the family's palenque continues to be run by their father, Don Cutberto Aquino Gutiérrez, it is shared by his five children and several compadres, each of whom produces small batches throughout the year. As the children of Don Cutberto and María García Cruz, Florencia and Guadalupe inherit mezcal traditions from both sides of their family—traditions renewed with every harvest, tapada, and postura.
The Tobalá of Miahuatlán, like many populations throughout Oaxaca, is now understood to be part of a species complex resulting from continuous hybridization between Agave potatorum and Agave seemanniana. This has given rise to remarkable variation in the appearance of Tobalá populations across the region and, in turn, to an equally diverse range of flavors expressed in the resulting spirits.
Closely related is the agave known locally as Coyote, recently described as Agave lyobaa. Although extremely rare in the wild, it is now commonly found in cultivated fields throughout Miahuatlán, where it appears among the offspring of seeds collected from both Madrecuixe and Tobalá mother plants. Highly prized for both its distinctive form and its organoleptic qualities, Coyote has become one of the most sought-after cultivated agaves in the region.
Selecting a combination of both en guía and capón plants, the sisters co-fermented twenty-two roasted Tobalá piñas with twenty Coyote in nearly equal proportions by weight. After resting the fibers for 24 hours, they added approximately 250 L of well water to prepare the mash. Following twelve days of careful fermentation, the mash was twice distilled in a copper pot still.
Adjusting with select cuts of heads, hearts, and tails, Florencia and Guadalupe composed a final yield of 40 L with a cordón cerrado corresponding to 47.6% ABV. Thirty bottles from this small batch were selected during a visit to the Aquino García family in April 2026 for a shared release with our friends at Bar Sotano and Estereo in Chicago.
Maguey(es): Coyote (Agave lyobaa) + Tobalá (Agave potatorum × Agave seemanniana)
Provenance of the maguey: Wild agave harvested from family land
Producer: Florencia and María Guadalupe Aquino García
Region: Logoche, San Luis Amatlán, Miahuatlán
Soil type: Red, rocky tierra colorada with cascajo
Rest time after harvest: Eight days
Oven: Conical earthen oven; roasted for eight days with mesquite wood
Rest time after roasting: Eight days
Maceration: Machete and shredder
Fermentation: Native yeasts; one 1,200 L Montezuma cypress (sabino) tank containing approximately 450 kg of cooked agave and 250 L of well water
Dry fermentation: 24 hours
Wet fermentation: 12 days
Distillation: Twice distilled in a copper pot still
Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
Batch size: 40 L
Date of distillation: February 2026
ABV: 47.6%