NETA works closely with several small, family producers and a cooperative of twelve palenqueros from the southern valleys and hills of Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. 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 mezcales and agave spirits anywhere 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 in Miahuatlán and the Central Valleys of Oaxaca 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.

With the arrival of the full moon of early March 2020, Hermógenes and his wife, Paula, set out to harvest three fermentation tanks worth fully ripened capón, or quiotudo, Espadín from two different parcels of family land. Having cut the then burgeoning quiote a year prior, Hermógenes allowed the maguey to reach its peak in sugar content in order to capture a higher yield and produce a spirit with robust flavors and aromas. Given the quality of the maguey, ambient conditions, and the expertise of the husband and wife team, the two were about to compose a total of 380L at 50.5% using a careful mix of heads, hearts, and tails.

- Maguey(es): 100% capón Espadín (Agave angustifolia var.)
- Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown
- Producer: Hermógenes Vásquez García
- Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán
- Soil type: Tierra roja and Tierra negra parcels
- Rest time after harvest: Six days
- Oven: Conical earthen pit; six days with mesquite wood
- Rest time after oven: Eight days
- Maceration: Machete and shredder
- Fermentation: Native yeasts, three 1200L capacity Montezuma cypress sabino wood
vats
- Dry fermentation time: 48 hours
- Wet fermentation time: eight days
- Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
- Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
- Batch size: 380L
- Date of distillation: March 2020