Acquired through family connections, Gilberto purchased 338 pias of ripe Tobal harvested from red, white, and rocky earth from San Andrs Paxtln, Miahuatln, 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 Tobal 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 Tobal 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 Tobal 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 Tobal from the region should taste like. The complex and balanced intermingling of savory minerals and earth, tannins, and ripe fruit is a reminder why Tobal has remained such a prized plant and spirit throughout Miahuatln and much of Oaxaca.

Maguey(es): Tobal (Agave potatorum x Agave seemanniana var.)

Provenance of the maguey: Wild agave from San Andrs Paxtln, Miahuatln

Producer: Gilberto Aquino Garca

Region: Logoche, Miahuatln

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%