That's the Spirit - Live and Breathe Mexico, Chopin Agave Spirits

Live and Breathe Mexico

CHOPIN IMPORTS IS ON ITS WAY TO BECOMING ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN AGAVE

By Michael Tulipan

The name Chopin may be best associated with vodka—apologies to the Polish composer—but Chopin Imports has built an extensive portfolio of premium brands beyond vodka, with a special focus on Mexican agave spirits.

Mezcal making is woven into the fabric of many Mexican communities and Chopin Imports has partnered with two artisan producers, Koch El Mezcal and Maguey Spirits, who both share a commitment to sustainability and traditional methods. “We have partnered with those we feel are the top two producers throughout Mexico,” says Chopin Imports COO Chuck Kane. “They are not contract brands. They live and breathe what they do 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.” Koch El Mezcal’s origins date back to the Mexican Revolution when it was founded by Carlos Moreno. Today the company is community-run and dedicated to environmental stewardship. They work with 52 mezcal producing families from more than 20 communities in and around Oaxaca, creating a portfolio made from wild, cultivated, and semicultivated agaves. Koch El Mezcal has also pioneered single agave mezcals, showcasing the differences in wild agave plants. In addition to the traditional Espadin, you will see names like Arroqueno, Tepeztate, Tobalá, Barril, Tobasiche and Madrecuishe. Koch’s Ensamble 4 mezcal blends four agave, Maguey Cirial, Tobalá, Tobasiche, Lumbre, including varieties of agaves sourced from local families.

Founded in 2013, family-owned Maguey Spirits craft a range of mezcals and sotol from four states outside Oaxaca itself, Chihuahua, Durango, Guerrero and Michoacan. The company is also devoted to preserving the environment through its “one to one” program that plants one agave seed for each bottle produced. Durango mezcal may be less known than the more famous Oaxacan spirit but Mezcal Burrito Fiestero is making its mark using more than 10 varieties of agave native to the state of Durango, making it the most diverse and exotic collection of mezcals from that region.

Burrito Fiestero Ensamble blends two of Durango’s most representative wild agaves, Agave Cenizo and Agave Verde, for an exception mezcal. Its Ancestral Collection is another regional showcase, featuring micro-batch mezcals in bottles that have been hand painted by local artists with different designs for each agave type. Maguey Spirits’ Mezcal Gin marries Mexico’s favorite spirit with gin botanicals that are added during the second distillation according to the Pechuga method. Here, the botanicals replace the traditional chicken or turkey breast (“pechuga” means breast in Spanish). Wild 12-year-old Cenizo Agave is distilled and then vapor infused with a mix of four local botanicals and eight classic ones commonly used in gin production. Kane recommends using Mezcal Gin in your favorite gin drink. “Any classic gin cocktail is instantly better, in my opinion,” he says.

Kane is also excited for bartenders and tequila fans to discover Felipe Camarena’s Terralta Tequila, a small production agave spirit from the El Pandillo Distillery. “Terralta is destined for ‘cult status’ among tequila drinkers everywhere,” he says. Kane’s goal is to have one of the best agave portfolios in the United States and he’s well on his way.