INTRODUCTION
The manufacturing of artisanal produced agave spirits is ceratainly one of the most fascinating activities in the spirits business today.
Crafting is an important source of income and employment for the local artisan producers in their communities and provides the manner through
which culture reaffirms itself. These hand craft methods and their mastery, are an ancient and beautiful forms of art derived from
ethnobotanical traditions passed down through the generations of surviving Zapotec and indigenous families of Mexico. No control instruments, or mechanized methods, or chemical additives are incorporated into the manufacturing of authentic artisanal produced agave distillates.
Everything is based on a respectful observance of growth, maturity and selection of the raw materialsand a palpable amount of love and respect for their craft, their taste and their legacy…
Crafting is an important source of income and employment for the local artisan producers in their communities and provides the manner through
which culture reaffirms itself. These hand craft methods and their mastery, are an ancient and beautiful forms of art derived from
ethnobotanical traditions passed down through the generations of surviving Zapotec and indigenous families of Mexico. No control instruments, or mechanized methods, or chemical additives are incorporated into the manufacturing of authentic artisanal produced agave distillates.
Everything is based on a respectful observance of growth, maturity and selection of the raw materialsand a palpable amount of love and respect for their craft, their taste and their legacy…
ETYMOLOGY
The word “Mezcal” has its origin in the Aztec Nahuatl; it’s defintion literally means “cooked agave”
“Metl” in Nahuatl means agave; “Ixcalli” in nahuatl means cooked, thus forming the word “Mezcalli”
Historically and colloquially to this very day, the term “Mezcal” is collectively used in Mexico to describe any and all agave distillates
produced from all agave species throughout its territories with their different traditional production techniques.
Tequila was once called “Vino de Mezcal” or “wine of mezcal”, an agave brandy which was first obtained by distilling the mash from the roasted hearts of the blue agave plants commonly known as Agave Tequilana Weber.
“Metl” in Nahuatl means agave; “Ixcalli” in nahuatl means cooked, thus forming the word “Mezcalli”
Historically and colloquially to this very day, the term “Mezcal” is collectively used in Mexico to describe any and all agave distillates
produced from all agave species throughout its territories with their different traditional production techniques.
Tequila was once called “Vino de Mezcal” or “wine of mezcal”, an agave brandy which was first obtained by distilling the mash from the roasted hearts of the blue agave plants commonly known as Agave Tequilana Weber.
HISTORY
Since 1994, the word and commercial term “Mezcal” has a protected Denomination of Origin (DO) under the Norma Official Mexicana NOM-070-SCFI-2016. It stipulates that all products with the trade name “Mezcal” appearing anywhere on bottle labels must be manufactured in specified regions; using certain techniques with defined raw materials which are monitored and controlled by the Consejo Regulador de Mezcal (CRM). All aspiring producers must register their intellectual property (IP) as a commercial brand and conform to the strict tax tests, workplace inspections and spirit laboratory tests in order to gain this certification. Since Mezcal can be legally produced with Industrial methods under the NOM-070, the trade term “Mezcal” on bottle labels inInternational markets does not guarantee a high quality spirit nor does it guarantee that you can expect an artisanal craft produced distillate.
How Mezcal Is Made | By Business Insider
THE MANUFACTURING OF ARTISANAL SPIRITS
Authentic artisanal craft produced agave distillates are a divergent category identifiable by their sweet, bold and long lasting flavours. Unsurprisingly, small-scale artisanal production methods create more depth and variety,
but beyond this… something about their handcrafted process and lack of measurement gives the liquid a real sense
of soul with its individual inconsistencies and delicious imperfections.
The results of these craft processes are nothing short of amazing.
Authentic artisanal craft produced agave distillates are a divergent category identifiable by their sweet, bold and long lasting flavours. Unsurprisingly, small-scale artisanal production methods create more depth and variety,
but beyond this… something about their handcrafted process and lack of measurement gives the liquid a real sense
of soul with its individual inconsistencies and delicious imperfections.
The results of these craft processes are nothing short of amazing.
ARTISANAL FARMING & HARVESTING
With over 100 agave species utilised in production of agave distillates in Mexico; Agave plants express the distinct flavours and aromatic compounds of the land where they grow as well as their cultivation and harvesting conditions. Both cultivated and wild occurring
species are utilised in the production of agave distillates with growth maturity phases ranging from 8 - 25 years or more...
Organic grown and wild reproduced agaves are commonly planted, guarded, observed and harvested by artisan producers who
wish to protect their livelihood and safeguard the quality of their craft. A harmonious balance and respect for the plants, their growth,
their maturity, and harvest time must be carefully observed and maintained by the artisan in order to plan and anticipate a production
and batch size and prolong and preserve their inherited traditional ethnobotanical practices.
Harvesting then becomes a prudent, masterful and extraordinarily laborious task by locating, cutting, extracting and
transporting of “piñas” (agave pineapples) from the fields and mountainous terrains back to “palenque” (small distillery), where
they are further cut by axe into smaller sized pieces to ensure the even roast cooking process to follow in earth dug pit ovens.
species are utilised in the production of agave distillates with growth maturity phases ranging from 8 - 25 years or more...
Organic grown and wild reproduced agaves are commonly planted, guarded, observed and harvested by artisan producers who
wish to protect their livelihood and safeguard the quality of their craft. A harmonious balance and respect for the plants, their growth,
their maturity, and harvest time must be carefully observed and maintained by the artisan in order to plan and anticipate a production
and batch size and prolong and preserve their inherited traditional ethnobotanical practices.
Harvesting then becomes a prudent, masterful and extraordinarily laborious task by locating, cutting, extracting and
transporting of “piñas” (agave pineapples) from the fields and mountainous terrains back to “palenque” (small distillery), where
they are further cut by axe into smaller sized pieces to ensure the even roast cooking process to follow in earth dug pit ovens.
ARTISANAL ROASTING
The authentic artisanal method of roasting Agave “pinas” (pineapples) is performed in earth dug conical pit ovens. It is
a mammoth task to accomplish where large pits are dug in the ground, and where stones are piled over burning hardwood in order to heat them... Once the wood has burnt down and the stones are red hot, the Artisan or Maestro Mezcalero lays a layer of damp agave fibres
over the hot stones to protect the oncoming “piñas” from burning and positions them over and around the pile of hot stones in the
pit until it is filled and completely covered forming a mound of agave parts.
The mound is then covered with a cloth, tarpaulin, or palm or banana leaves to prevent a subsequent applied layer of earth soil from contaminating the agave parts. This layer together with the additional 30 cm layer of earth soil which is shoveled on top, seals the pile
airtight with the remaining oxygen and fire burning off and evaporating moisture causing kiln pressure to increase.
The kiln now rests for 3 to 5 days to allow for a slow transformative process to take place. Once roasting is complete, the oven is
carefully dismantled and the roasted piñas are moved and stored in a clean dry place in preparation for mashing. The storage time is
important as it breaks down the cellulose and facilitates the subsequent mashing and fermentation process.
Slow roasting transforms the hard flesh of the agave, into soft with a brown colour, smelling sweet and of caramel, with notes of
wood, smoke, and earth due to its exposure inside the earth oven. This traditional ethnobotanical technique has been used for
several thousand years in Mesoamerica and plays an essential role in the flavour profiles of agave distillates.
a mammoth task to accomplish where large pits are dug in the ground, and where stones are piled over burning hardwood in order to heat them... Once the wood has burnt down and the stones are red hot, the Artisan or Maestro Mezcalero lays a layer of damp agave fibres
over the hot stones to protect the oncoming “piñas” from burning and positions them over and around the pile of hot stones in the
pit until it is filled and completely covered forming a mound of agave parts.
The mound is then covered with a cloth, tarpaulin, or palm or banana leaves to prevent a subsequent applied layer of earth soil from contaminating the agave parts. This layer together with the additional 30 cm layer of earth soil which is shoveled on top, seals the pile
airtight with the remaining oxygen and fire burning off and evaporating moisture causing kiln pressure to increase.
The kiln now rests for 3 to 5 days to allow for a slow transformative process to take place. Once roasting is complete, the oven is
carefully dismantled and the roasted piñas are moved and stored in a clean dry place in preparation for mashing. The storage time is
important as it breaks down the cellulose and facilitates the subsequent mashing and fermentation process.
Slow roasting transforms the hard flesh of the agave, into soft with a brown colour, smelling sweet and of caramel, with notes of
wood, smoke, and earth due to its exposure inside the earth oven. This traditional ethnobotanical technique has been used for
several thousand years in Mesoamerica and plays an essential role in the flavour profiles of agave distillates.
ARTISANAL MASHING
In preparation for an artisanal fermentation process, the unusable (overcooked or undercooked pieces) are first identified and sorted
out by hand and good pieces are then mashed or grounded into a fibrous pulpy mixture. This transformative process is usually done by
an upright stone wheel in rotation called “Tahona” in Egyptian style mills moved by live animal in a circle around a central axle.
The Tahona wheel rotates and smashes the cooked agaves in a low basin while the Artisan often walks alongside the animal around
the circle simultaneously pulling and displacing the smashed agave pulp smashed in the basin as they go around…
Other, more ancient and traditional methods of mashing are also utilised by artisans and referred to as “ancestral”. In this type of
mashing the agave hearts are hand pounded and crushed by “mazo” (wooden hammer) in stone or wood basins called “canoas.
Both artisanal mashing methods have significant influence on the taste of the distilled spirits, clearly separating and differentiating
them from mechanized industrial shredded spirits with notable emerging characteristics of sweetness, explosive flavours and body.
out by hand and good pieces are then mashed or grounded into a fibrous pulpy mixture. This transformative process is usually done by
an upright stone wheel in rotation called “Tahona” in Egyptian style mills moved by live animal in a circle around a central axle.
The Tahona wheel rotates and smashes the cooked agaves in a low basin while the Artisan often walks alongside the animal around
the circle simultaneously pulling and displacing the smashed agave pulp smashed in the basin as they go around…
Other, more ancient and traditional methods of mashing are also utilised by artisans and referred to as “ancestral”. In this type of
mashing the agave hearts are hand pounded and crushed by “mazo” (wooden hammer) in stone or wood basins called “canoas.
Both artisanal mashing methods have significant influence on the taste of the distilled spirits, clearly separating and differentiating
them from mechanized industrial shredded spirits with notable emerging characteristics of sweetness, explosive flavours and body.
ARTISANAL FERMENTATION METHOD
The smashed Agave resulting from Artisanal or Ancestral mashing processes deliver a mixture of bagasse (agave fibers) and pulp for which different repository “vessels” may be incorporated and used to induce the fermentation process. Depending on the artisans materials availability and the particular applied ethnobotanical tradition, vessels may include hollowed tree trunks, earth pits, natural or masonry stone tubs, cow skins and clay pots; however, most often, “tinas” or wooden vats are employed in artisanal methods of fermentation while clay pots and cow skins are mostly used for ancestral methods of fermentation.
The vessels are left out in the open and remain unsealed during fermentation to ensure the formation and exposure of natural yeasts which propel the natural and spontaneous artisanal fermentation process to take place. The natural yeasts and other microbes which assist this process are found inside the fermentation vessels, tools, and any and all objects which make contact and are used in the distillery; and which also reproduce during each small batch production. Both Artisanal and Ancestral fermentation processes begin and develop spontaneously after the mixing of the smashed pulp and bagasse are combined with natural spring water in their respective vessels. Fermentation maturity is determined by the fading noises inside the vessels, the shapes of openings in the fibrous pulp floating on the vessel’s surface (caused by escaping CO²), the smell, the temperature of the mash; and the taste of samples taken at different heights of the vessel. Each agave species produces recognisable differences with their respective mash and has different fermentation times.
Over repeated cycles and time, autochthonous strands emerge which adapt to the processes on site and produce a specific flavour profile for each palenque (small distillery). In this manner the concept of terroir is applicable not only to the plant and its location, but also to the vessels used for fermenting in each small traditional distillery. Some artisans use “mosto” (juice) from a previous.
fermentation as the kick starter for a new batch and, in some areas “pulque” (fermented agave juice) is also added… Depending on the size and type of the repository vessels employed, the ambient temperature, humidity, altitude and the type(s) of agave varietals utilised in both artisanal or ancestral methods; the fermentation process can take from 9 to over 21 days.
Once fermentation is complete all usable sugars are broken down into alcohol by the naturally occurring yeasts and the mash and juice are ready for distillation which must start within a day otherwise it can begin to spoil. In all traditional artisanal distilleries the size of the earth pit oven and the capacity of its fermentation vessels; and of its stills, are size proportional to each other and will result in the size of the batch. A small batch may comprises anywhere from twenty up to three hundred liters.
The vessels are left out in the open and remain unsealed during fermentation to ensure the formation and exposure of natural yeasts which propel the natural and spontaneous artisanal fermentation process to take place. The natural yeasts and other microbes which assist this process are found inside the fermentation vessels, tools, and any and all objects which make contact and are used in the distillery; and which also reproduce during each small batch production. Both Artisanal and Ancestral fermentation processes begin and develop spontaneously after the mixing of the smashed pulp and bagasse are combined with natural spring water in their respective vessels. Fermentation maturity is determined by the fading noises inside the vessels, the shapes of openings in the fibrous pulp floating on the vessel’s surface (caused by escaping CO²), the smell, the temperature of the mash; and the taste of samples taken at different heights of the vessel. Each agave species produces recognisable differences with their respective mash and has different fermentation times.
Over repeated cycles and time, autochthonous strands emerge which adapt to the processes on site and produce a specific flavour profile for each palenque (small distillery). In this manner the concept of terroir is applicable not only to the plant and its location, but also to the vessels used for fermenting in each small traditional distillery. Some artisans use “mosto” (juice) from a previous.
fermentation as the kick starter for a new batch and, in some areas “pulque” (fermented agave juice) is also added… Depending on the size and type of the repository vessels employed, the ambient temperature, humidity, altitude and the type(s) of agave varietals utilised in both artisanal or ancestral methods; the fermentation process can take from 9 to over 21 days.
Once fermentation is complete all usable sugars are broken down into alcohol by the naturally occurring yeasts and the mash and juice are ready for distillation which must start within a day otherwise it can begin to spoil. In all traditional artisanal distilleries the size of the earth pit oven and the capacity of its fermentation vessels; and of its stills, are size proportional to each other and will result in the size of the batch. A small batch may comprises anywhere from twenty up to three hundred liters.
ARTISANAL DISTILLATION
Artisanal distillation is usually performed in copper stills “alambiques” which do not allow for continuous distillation, and where, each batch filling is completely burned off before still is opened and refilled for another distillation... It incorporates different types of copper pots stills with a helmet “capitel”, a spirit pipe “pasa vapores” and a snake cooler in a water bath “serpentin” ...closely resembling the Philippine stills appearing in Mexico circa 1600’s.
Distillation referenced as ancestral is performed in ceramic pots “ollas”, set in protective housings of adobe bricks with wood fired below.
They incorporate an additional clay vessel “resollano” (with a top, bottom and side openings..) placed directly on top of the ceramic pot and capped by
a copper bowl "cazo”, containing the cooling water... Once the process is initiated and the hot vapours rise condensation begins to form on curved underside of copper cooling bowl and begins trickling slowly into a wooden spoon “paleta” which then guides liquid by bamboo reed “bitoque” to the outside, and into the collecting container.
In the first distillation (the wash distillation), the still is filled in equal parts with liquid components including fibres from the originating fermentation vessels and the substance produced is called ordinario, or shishe with ABV's 10% - 40%, depending the agave varietals being distilled.
In the second distillation (the spirit distillation), the second pass "rectificación" produces the heads "puntas" "cabezas" and the body "cuerpo"
or "corazón" and the tails "colas"... Each master distiller "maestro" incorporates their regional ethnobotanical traditions when mixing and crafting their final spirit from the output of the second distillation, and sometimes adjusts them with natural spring water onto the final spirit.
The body component can be consumed at the strength and usually comes out ranging 45% - 60% abv by volume.
Some maestros also incorporate a third distillation with a fowl or other small animal hung inside the still and suspended in a way
where vapours rise cooking meat causing drip with natural juices adding more flavour characteristics to some very special spirits.
Other traditions add ripe fruits, herbs or botanicals to liquid contents of the third distillation incorporating flavours to the finished spirit.
The maestro further rates and Inspects his final spirit by projecting a small liquid stream into a small calabash "jicara" from a reed or "venencia".
observing bubbles or "perlas" form in the calabash... giving out further information about the quality and ABV of the spirit.
Distillation referenced as ancestral is performed in ceramic pots “ollas”, set in protective housings of adobe bricks with wood fired below.
They incorporate an additional clay vessel “resollano” (with a top, bottom and side openings..) placed directly on top of the ceramic pot and capped by
a copper bowl "cazo”, containing the cooling water... Once the process is initiated and the hot vapours rise condensation begins to form on curved underside of copper cooling bowl and begins trickling slowly into a wooden spoon “paleta” which then guides liquid by bamboo reed “bitoque” to the outside, and into the collecting container.
In the first distillation (the wash distillation), the still is filled in equal parts with liquid components including fibres from the originating fermentation vessels and the substance produced is called ordinario, or shishe with ABV's 10% - 40%, depending the agave varietals being distilled.
In the second distillation (the spirit distillation), the second pass "rectificación" produces the heads "puntas" "cabezas" and the body "cuerpo"
or "corazón" and the tails "colas"... Each master distiller "maestro" incorporates their regional ethnobotanical traditions when mixing and crafting their final spirit from the output of the second distillation, and sometimes adjusts them with natural spring water onto the final spirit.
The body component can be consumed at the strength and usually comes out ranging 45% - 60% abv by volume.
Some maestros also incorporate a third distillation with a fowl or other small animal hung inside the still and suspended in a way
where vapours rise cooking meat causing drip with natural juices adding more flavour characteristics to some very special spirits.
Other traditions add ripe fruits, herbs or botanicals to liquid contents of the third distillation incorporating flavours to the finished spirit.
The maestro further rates and Inspects his final spirit by projecting a small liquid stream into a small calabash "jicara" from a reed or "venencia".
observing bubbles or "perlas" form in the calabash... giving out further information about the quality and ABV of the spirit.
