46.1% ABV

Made by Hugo Garcia Maldonado in the village of Logoche in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca. This unique release was made from semi-cultivated Madrecuixe de Soca, which are the fully matured rhizomes of the mother agave. Many agaves produce "hijuelos" or sprouting clones from their root structure. These are often removed and transplanted to create an additional agave. This hijuelo was left connected to the original root structure until it was harvested at full maturity. 

Producer Notes:

There exist a multitude of different types of Agave karwinskii throughout the Zapotec territories of Oaxaca that are all identified by the colloquial name, Madrecuixe. In the town of San Luis Amatlán, Miahuatlán, and in adjacent communities, Madrecuixe refers to a specific and highly prized heirloom cultivar that is unique to the region.

This batch was made by Hugo García Maldonado and produced a medias with a local farmer using the mature sucker plants or offsets from a field of Madrecuixe known as “Madrecuixe de soca”. While under ideal conditions, these plants can grow to weigh over 200lbs in under eight years, because these plants came from a relatively neglected parcel, their growth was stunted and the plants remained small. Harvested en guía just before the spouting of the quiote, Hugo estimated the age of the agaves to be between 15 and 20 years old, based on the growth of trees and shrubs that had overtaken the land.

After unearthing the roasted maguey, Hugo broke the piñas down with a machete before passing the caramelized chunks through a shredder. Two of the fermentation vats required water 24 hours later, while another two, needed an additional day before the were deemed ready to be formulated with well water. The weather and temperatures at this time in October 2023 fluctuated between hot and cold and wet and dry, creating somewhat undesirable conditions for the ferments. For this reason, Hugo attributed a relatively low yield of 240 liters from a total of nearly 4000kg of Madrecuixe de soca. Half of the production was shared with the landowner of the Potrerito parcel where the agave was harvested, and the remaining 120 liters were bottled for this special release. We selected this batch because of its stellar prototypical attributes, but also because telling the story behind its production provides a glimpse into the agricultural, environmental, and cultural elements that all contribute to creating such a remarkable spirit.

About NETA Spirits:

We have always felt a special connection to NETA because we were the first bar to ever purchase and pour their spirits way back in 2012. Founder Max Rosenstock was introduced to us through a regular customer of ours and he brought us some of the fabulous spirits that would eventually become his brand to taste and see what we thought. It was love at first sight. We have proudly poured his stuff ever since.

NETA works closely with over twenty small, family producers from the southern valleys and hills of Miahuatlán, Oaxaca, many of whom are members of the cooperative Grupo Productor Logoche. Situated at the southern tip of the Central Valleys and the foot of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains, the area is renowned for the strong character of its people, its diverse landscapes, and the rich agricultural and culinary traditions that have been maintained throughout generations. As such, the region has preserved its reputation for producing some of the finest spirits in Mexico.

The recipes and knowledge have been passed down and shared through family and community ties. Some mezcaleros follow their grandfathers’ traditions to the letter, while others experiment to carefully fine-tune the laborious process in accordance with their own tastes, observations, and relationships with the natural world. No two productions can ever be exactly the same as environmental conditions, water, natural yeasts, and soil types all contribute to their nuances just as much as the touch of their maker.

Since 2012, our friendships and working relationships with families in rural communities across Miahuatlán have granted us participation in a world elusive to those not born into it. It is this humbling privilege that allows us to present a carefully curated selection of extraordinary spirits that would otherwise never be found outside of their place of origin. Así es, la mera mera NETA.

Traditional single-batch agave spirits

NETA exclusively commercializes single-batch agave spirits from producers in Miahuatlán and almost entirely from the 110-person village of Logoche. When talking about "single batches" we are referring to lots produced from a single oven or harvest of agave. The process of crafting these batches begins with the harvest of mature en guía or capón plants, often of various species or types of agave around the time of the full moon, that are then cooked together in a conical earthen pit. The roasted agave hearts or piñas are then either separated and designated for multiple smaller batches, or macerated and fermented together in their entirety to make a single batch. In accordance with traditional practices, the spirits produced from different ovens are not blended, homogenized, or standardized to a particular ABV. Each production is unique and bottled at still-strength by members and family members of the co-op and the quantity produced is relative to the number of agave cooked in an oven and their respective yield. Agave spirits are agricultural products, and the quantities of production should reasonably reflect the availability of local resources.