Description
This bottling comes from Baltazar Cruz, a respected palenquero in San Luis del Río, Oaxaca. Sierra Negra is not a place here. It is a wild agave, a type of Agave americana, and a tough one to work with. Palenqueros bottles it as a single palenque release, so you taste one maker’s hand.
Everything is done the slow way. The wild agave roasts in an earthen pit oven. A mule turns the stone tahona to crush it. The juice ferments with wild yeast in pine vats, then runs through a small copper still. It is bottled at 51% straight from the still, with nothing added.
Your nose finds roasted agave first, then a cool wave of minerals like wet slate and sea salt. A thread of wood smoke and some spice follow. On the palate it stays mineral, with grilled dark fruit and a burnt orange note. A little caramel sweetness and soft leather round it out. The finish is warm and spicy, with a sweet herbal edge.
At full strength it is best sipped slowly from a small glass. Add a few drops of water if the heat feels big. Orange slices with chili salt make a classic partner, and grilled seafood works well too.
Pick this up if you enjoy deep, savory agave spirits and like knowing exactly who made them. It is a rare chance to taste a hard-to-find agave in a careful, traditional style.
