One fine Spring day in 2022 we pushed a little deeper into the Miahuatlán valley than usual and happened across this stunningly situated palenque.
There we found Carlos Vasquez, recently returned from working in the US, and establishing his new mezcal business.
This delicious Biquix con piña, our first batch from Carlos, has been bottled exclusively for bars of The Berkeley Hotel.
Having only recently built his palenque on return from the US, Carlos currently buys in his agave from farmers when he can. The plants sit in piles under logs protecting them from the sun until they’re ready to be loaded into the oven.
His first crop of own harvested agave should be ready very soon.
Agave delivery
Carlos on a closed oven
Maguey Biquix
After a 10 day roast, the piñas were crushed entirely by hand using wooden mallets on a wooden mashing table - highly unusual for the region.
Once crushed, the sweet roasted agave was loaded into the wooden Tina below, where it was left to dry ferment for 4 days, with no catalyst other than the airborne yeasts in the environment. The lightly fermented fibres were then split into plastic drums and had water added for a further 5 days of fermentation.
Once fermented, the sour and alcoholic mash was loaded, fired and all, into Carlos’ single 200-litre copper still, for a first distillation.
After the first distillation, the still was cleaned of bagazo (agave fibres) and vinasa (waste liquid), and the first run distillate or ‘ordinaro’ was added back into the still along with 43kg of chopped ripe pineapple.
That’s 26 whole pineapples in this tiny 67 litre batch, which were trucked in from the Sierra Sur where they grow plentifully.
Gracias Carlos
Tasting notes: Biquix and Piña - absolute winner!
This batch has been bottled exclusive for The Berkeley.
For a copita, head to their hotel bars.
Continue your agave spirits journey via the Mezcal Appreciation Society:
