Koch El Mezcal Artesanal Tepeztate

47% ABV

Koch is an independent bottler of Mezcal that works with over 50 producing families in multiple Mexican states. They first appeared in the US in 2010, at which time there were only a small handful of artisanal Mezcal brands available.

This is a Tepeztate (Agave Marmorata) from the village of San Baltazar Guelavila. Maestro Pedro Hernandez harvests 12-15 year old Tepeztate and pit roasts them in a conical oven. The cooked agaves are crushed with a horse-drawn tahona and fermented with spring water and ambient yeasts in wooden "tinas" or open top cypress barrels. It is double distilled in copper pots and the alcohol is adjusted with "puntas y colas" or the heads and tails of the distillation. It has loads of tropical fruit, especially tamarind & pineapple with some grassy herbal notes and bitter chocolate.