Description

Master Mezcalero: Juan Hernández Méndez

NOM: NOM-0496X

Agave Varietal: Henequén

Scientific Name: Agave fourcroydes

Town / Municipality: Santiago Matatlán

State: Oaxaca

Fermentation: Natural, Open-Vat Fermentation in Wood

Still Type: Copper Alembic

Date of Distillation: December 2017

Number of Liters in Distillation: 397 Liters

ABV: 45%

Tasting Notes:

Smooth and savory. Mineral and saline notes of clay and wet earth. Reminds us of the smell of fresh rain in the Oaxacan countryside. Also the subtle fragrance and sweetness of corn meal, evoking fresh atole and tamales. It is a smooth easy sipper, so the finish may surprise you: slightly spicy, with a tingly numbness that lingers on the tongue and reminds us of Sichuan peppercorns.

Henequén (Agave fourcroydes)

Henequén is an agave varietal indigenous to the Yucatán Peninsula. It is not indigenous to, and thus rarely seen in, Oaxaca or any of the other mezcal-producing states of Mexico. Consequently, mezcal made from Henequén is rarely seen even in Mexico, and practically unheard of outside of Mexico.

Henequén has been cultivated since Pre-Hispanic times for use in fiber and textile production. Henequén fiber, extracted from the leaves of the plant, is sometimes referred to as sisal – the namesake of Sisal, a seaport town that was the principal port of Yucatán, Mexico during the heydays of Henequén fiber exportation.

Henequén matures in a “fast” 5-7 years. Nonetheless, when processed into mezcal, it yields a complex product notable for its intense minerality, saline notes, and a tingly numbness reminiscent of Sichuan peppercorns.

As the first importer of certified Henequén mezcal in the United States, Erstwhile Mezcal has written a lengthy blog post on the topic.

The Backstory

A must-have for any serious mezcal collector. This mezcal, made from cultivated Henequén piñas, is a small-batch limited edition of only 397 liters. Master mezcalero Juan Hernández Méndez made this rare distillation for his own personal collection, until his recent decision to transfer ownership to Erstwhile Mezcal.

Henequén, an agave plant native to the Yucatán Peninsula, once ruled and transformed the region’s economy to such an extent that it came to be known as “green gold”. It is not native to, and thus rarely seen in, Oaxaca and other mezcal-producing regions of Mexico.

Valued for its fiber since pre-Hispanic times, Henequén has been used to make, among other things, twine, hammocks, sacks, baskets and thick ropes for mooring ships.

Henequén fiber, extracted from the leaves of the plant, is sometimes referred to as sisal – the namesake of Sisal, a seaport town that was the principal port of Yucatán, Mexico during the heydays of Henequén fiber exportation.

The first written account documenting the use of Henequén in Yucatán — for making ropes and other naval tools — dates back to as early as 1783 in a report by José María Lanz (Spanish-Mexican mathematician, engineer and cartographer) during his employment by the Spanish Royal Navy.

Henequén takes five to seven years to mature. A tough and resilient plant, it is adapted to survive in arid climates with little water, and reproduces without being cultivated. Its sword-shaped leaves grow out thick, prominent trunks that can reach as tall as four to five feet.

The lot of piñas that made our Henequén was originally bound for Jalisco, apparently intended as some sort of industrial mezcal (or possibly faux tequila?!) experiment. However, the piñas were so tough that they broke the shredder, and had to be sent back.

Somewhere along the way, our partner producer Juan Hernández Méndez intercepted and purchased this lot of henequén piñas. Henequén may be tough, but ultimately no match for Juan’s moxie and tahona (stone mill)!

I will never forget the first time we tasted our Henequén. I was with Juan and his wife Hortensia, feasting on simple-but-so-delicious quesadillas fresh from their comal, and being regaled with copita after copita of mezcal, each of which was made from a different species of wild agave and delightful in its own right.

The Henequén did not appear until toward the end. Through the open door, a rainstorm raged outside over Carretera Internacional (arguably the Main Street of Santiago Matatlán) while I basked in the warmth and pleasure of the Hernándezes’ hospitality.

Juan brought out the Henequén and poured copitas quietly, without much fanfare.

That flavor. It struck me fast and direct, like a quiet thunderbolt. Smooth and savory. Saline and mineral. Slightly spicy, with a surprising finish of tingly numbness on the tongue that reminds me of Sichuan peppercorns. And the smell of rain in the fresh country air.

It was love at first sip.

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Check out Erstwhile Mezcal’s blog post on Henequén for more photos. We are thrilled beyond words, and cannot wait to share this super interesting and rare distillation with you.

Yuan Ji

Founder of Erstwhile Mezcal