tobaziche - amatengo
Batch: LEJ-03 - That’s so Papo’s / Clandestino Exclusive
Ejutla is the most southernly district in the central valleys of Oaxaca. Here you’ll find the community of San Agustín Amatengo, where Sergio Juarez Patricio and his son Luis produce delicious agave spirits in the family palenque.
The large tahona in front of the covered fermentation and distillation area in Amatengo
What sets Ejutla apart from the other central valley districts, like Ocotlán and Tlacolula, is the tradition of using a refrescador (water bath) around the condensing chamber of the copper alembic. Moreover, in the case of this palenque at least, that chamber contains a reflux plate.
The engineering of this set-up effectively creates a double (or at least 1.5x) distillation with one pass of the still, creating high-proof, clean-profile spirits.
Luis demonstrates the refrescadera
Looking up into the plated copper condensing chamber
The roast is 3 days in a classic earthen horno. Milling by machete and a particularly large and heavy tahona pulled by two bulls. Fermentation takes 8-9 days in open air wooden tinas.
Sergio by the oven
Fermentation in Amatengo
Luis with maguey Mexicano capón
For this batch, Sergio & Luis used 100% maguey Tobaziche (A.Karwinski). Endemic to Oaxaca, and also known as ‘Largo’ (long) due to it’s tall growth, this agave takes around 10-12 years to reach maturity. It has a lower sugar content than the ubiquitous Espadín (A. Angustifolia) and tends to offer more earthy and woody flavours.
Wild maguey Tobaziche
Gracias Sergio & Luis
Flavour notes: On first release from the bottle there’s palpable ashiness on the nose, which opens up to sweet roasted agave tones after a few seconds aerating in the glass. The woody and grassy tones one might expect from agave Karwinski are present on first sip, along with a crisp and clean mouth feel one can expect from the Etla-style, single-pass refrescadera distillation. The restrained sweetness of this exceedingly well balanced batch spreads slowly and evenly across the whole palate before fading into a long, stable, and mildly smoky finish. Go back for another nose and it seems to have sweetened further in the glass, beckoning you in for another sip.
For a taste, head to the Clandestino speakeasy in Walthamstow, London
Continue your agave spirits journey via the Mezcal Appreciation Society:
