Tepextate | Aniceto García | September 2022 | TPXANI2209 | Summer 2023 release | 78 bottles

Made by maestro palenquero Aniceto García in September 2022, twenty piñas of Tepextate en guía were selected from the wild in the rugged hills above Aniceto’s ranch, sharing the chalky, limestone terrain populated by cacti, copal, and a diverse mix of other flora and fauna. A natural spring gurgles in front of the house and below his palenque, providing water for mango trees, three different kinds of banana, loquats, guava, citrus, pomegranate, papaya, and other fruit trees.

Tío Cheto, as he known by friends, comes from a long tradition of palenqueros in the area, and as a result knows the tricks and nuances to working with the maguey found locally. Resting times are crucial, and he does not allow too much time to pass between the harvest and roast, and little time between the roast and maceration. Tepextate ferments quickly in general, but the mashing of cooked agave with a wooden mallet creates allows for the collection of extra juices and requires the use of less water, also facilitating a faster fermentation time. Made during the monsoon rain season that sees lower temperatures and greater concentrations of water in the agave, the mash ended up requiring slightly longer dry and wet fermentation times than what is normal for Aniceto. Nine days after uncovering the cooked agave, roasted with a protective layer of pencas, agave fibers, and banana leaf, he was ready to distill.

Aniceto follows a recipe for distillation using the same materials and techniques shown to him by his grandfather: a copper boiler pot and cap, fitted with a refrescadera cooling jacket. Unlike some other methods in the vicinity, he fills the refrescadera with cool water three times during each round of distillation, or postura. A select cut of high proof liquid from this first round, which he refers to as shishe macizo, is separated and used to lower the final alcohol content of the heads and hearts cuts selected from the rectification in the second distillation. Around ten liters of shishe macizo was separated and used to compose a total of 60L at 50.7%. 

§  Maguey(es): Tepextate (Agave marmorata var.)

§  Provenance of the maguey: wild-harvested on family land

§  Producer: Aniceto García

§  Region: San Luis Amatlán, Miahuatlán

§  Soil type: Rocky and white tierra blanca rocosa

§  Rest time after harvest: Two days

§  Oven: Conical earthen pit; six days with mesquite

§  Rest time after oven: two days

§  Maceration: Machete and shredder

§  Fermentation: Native yeasts; one 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood tank with approximately 650kg of cooked maguey and 100 liters of natural spring water

§  Dry fermentation time: 72 hours

§  Wet fermentation time:  three days

§  Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills w/refrescadera

§  Final composition: Heads, hearts, and a select cut of shishe macizo

§  Batch size: 60L

§  Date of distillation: September 2022

ABV: 50.7%