tobala - santa inés sola
Batch: FV-01
Release date: October 2022 (France)
Santa Inés Sola is a small community outside of the town of Sola de Vega, in south-west Oaxaca. It’s here we came across Florian, his Nephew Gilberto, and their smart palenque.
While the Sola de Vega region is known for clay pot production, this palenque is set up not only with clay pots, but also copper alembics - with and without refrescador tops, allowing for much more experimentation.
Florian has an impressive array of agave growing in the steep hills that surround the palenque. Cultivation is with consideration for the environment and other species of plans and trees in the area. He’s even experimenting with agave cupreata - not normally found in this part of southern Oaxaca.
Agave growing amongst lime trees and other diverse plants
Tobala growing amongst other agave
Florian & Jon by the agave nursery
Jabali amongst the tobala & cupreata
For the May 2018 batch, Florian selected just mature maguey Tobala (A.Potatorum) for harvest. The agaves were then roasted in the palenques small stone-lined earthen horno, below:
After fermentation in classic wooden slatted tinas, the multi-disciplin palenque comes in to play.
For this batch Florian chose to distill first in the copper alembic, and then run the second distillation in the small sola de vega style clay pots. It’s highly unusual to see this mixed method.
Multi-disciplin palenque
Florian has a technique with the copper stills that we’ve not spotted elsewhere. These wooden boards are inserted into the still to keep the bagaso (agave fibres) from touching the metal bottom of the boiling pot - protecting against burning during the first distillation and avoiding any potential bitter charred flavours. Smart.
Gracias Florian
Tasting notes: A lot of sweetness on the nose, like a desert of dark berries and smoked marzipan, with hints of dry tobacco that betray the Sola de Vega origins. More herbal on the palate initially, with notes of rosemary and a velvet mouth feel. A fruitiness sneaks back into the mid-palate before fading into a sweet and lingering background warmth.
Grab a bottle for your collection while stocks last:
Continue your agave spirits journey via the Mezcal Appreciation Society:
