Acquired through family connections, Gilberto purchased 338 piñas of ripe Tobalá harvested from red, white, and rocky earth from San Andrés Paxtlán, Miahuatlán, a community located at about 2,000 meters above sea level in the oak, pine, and madrona populated mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur. At this elevation, the agave known regionally as Tobalá is seemingly a fluid hybrid complex composed of both Agave potatorum and Agave seemanniana, two distinct species that are morphologically similar, and share common flowering times and pollinators. While they appear to be similar in their processing and fermentation times, lowland Tobalá is generally higher in brix than their highland relatives that grow in a colder and wetter climate.
Working with two 250-300L-capacity copper pot stills, it took two full days for Gilberto to work his way through the mash contained in four sabino wood fermentation vats. As a result, overall formulation times varied slightly from vat to vat, ranging from eight to ten days after maceration. A total of nearly three tons of wild Tobalá was used to produce 225 liters at 47.1% ABV that were composed with a careful mix of heads, hearts, and tails. The aromas and flavors are extremely representative of what a well-made Tobalá from the region should taste like. The complex and balanced intermingling of savory minerals and earth, tannins, and ripe fruit is a reminder why Tobalá has remained such a prized plant and spirit throughout Miahuatlán and much of Oaxaca.
Maguey(es): Tobalá (Agave potatorum x Agave seemanniana var.)
Provenance of the maguey: Wild agave from San Andrés Paxtlán, Miahuatlán
Producer: Gilberto Aquino García
Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán
Soil type: white soil, rock
Rest time after harvest: seven days
Oven: Conical earthen pit; 12 days with mesquite
Rest time after oven: three days
Maceration: Machete and shredder
Fermentation: Native yeasts; four 1200L capacity Montezuma cypress sabino wood tanks.
Dry fermentation time: 24 hours
Wet fermentation time: 7-9 days
Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
Batch size: 225L
Date of distillation: April 2022
ABV: 47.1%
