LIMITED RELEASES 2017
OUR COMMITMENT “We promote, produce and sell Mezcal because we know that with it we can make a social and economic difference in some of the most marginalized communities in Mexico.” “We support small producers and their communities to ensure we are socially sustainable.” “Through our limited releases, we are looking to make a social and environmental impact.” “For future generations to be able to produce mezcal, we must take care of our natural resources today.”
GRANDES LEYENDAS “All of the special editions from Mezcales de Leyenda benefit a special social cause. Through the edition ‘Grandes Leyendas’ we are donating a significant portion of our proceeds to Don Anastacio and his family”
Mezcales de Leyenda presents ‘Grandes Leyendas’, the first edition of our exclusive series, which recognizes great master mezcaleros over the age of 70 as a living homage of their impressive work effort throughout their life. On this occasion, we celebrate the beloved master Don Anastacio, who elaborately, carefully and slowly created this splendid ancestral mezcal using wild agave Cupreata from northern Guerrero.
GRANDES LEYENDAS
DON ANASTACIO is an amazing master distiller who recently turned 72 years old and has over 60 years making mezcal. He learned from his father, Don Florencio, at the young age of 12, the time honored craft of handmade mezcal.
789 Bottles Produced • Mezcal Artesanal Blanco •100% Maguey Papalote/Agave Cupreata •Sierra Madre Occidental •Alc/Vol: 43% •Double distilled in copper pots
“Aromas: mellow notes of mature tropical fruits, orange blossom and light smoke; Flavors: rich unctuous palate, bittersweet chocolate, orange peel”
Water: Fresh stream water that flows next to the distillery Maceration: Crushing by hand with a club in a wooden canoe made of a fig trees Fermentation: Small oak wooden vats Distillation: Copper metal pot with an oak hat
AGAVE CUPREATA, grows wild in the low deciduous forest in northern Guerrero
MEZCALES ÚNICOS “All of the special editions from Mezcales de Leyenda benefit a special social cause. Through the edition ‘Mezcales Únicos’, we are donating a significant part of the sales to the cultivation and conservation of this extraordinary agave.”
Mezcales de Leyenda presents ‘Mezcales Únicos,’ the first limited release in this series with the purpose to offer collectors and agave lovers the opportunity to experience an agave that had never been distilled before for the first time. To initiate this innovative series, we picked the stunning Agave montana, which grows wild in a hidden valley in the Sierra Madre Oriental in Tamaulipas. The result is a surprisingly wild and unique mezcal.
GRANDES UNICOS
We built this brand new viñata in the vicinity of the Agave Montana in a picturesque setting in Tamaulipas
369 Bottles Produced
Water: Collected from a nearby stream Roasting: Cooked in a lava rock lined pit for 5 days Fermentation: Natural airborne yeasts in local oak tanks • Mezcal Artesanal Blanco • 100% Maguey/Agave Montana • Alc/Vol: 45% • Double distilled in copper pots
“Aromas: deep char, herbal notes, and damp forest Flavors: sweet mid palate, powerful and very long finish with sweet menthol tones”
Distillation: Copper alembic still with serpentine
The AGAVE MONTANA is unique in that it only grows in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon at an elevation of more than 2,500 meters above sea level among pine and oak trees. This agave has a very distinct flavor profile that makes it very unique from any other mezcal. When it flowers, it transforms from military green color to bright orange, reds and yellows.
Since the region where this agave grows does not actually have any mezcaleros, we worked with the Obregón family of incredible producers from Guerrero. They made the trek out to the mountains of Tamaulipas and through trial and error, using both father and son’s experience, they produced for the first time ever a mezcal from Agave Montana.
RESERVAS DE LA BIOSFERA “All of the special editions from Mezcales de Leyenda benefit a special social cause. Through the edition ‘Reservas de la Biosfera’ we are donating a significant part of our proceeds to the conservation of regional cactacea in collaboration with local groups.”
Mezcales de Leyenda presents ‘Reservas de la Biosfera’, the first edition in our collection dedicated to important national parks in Mexico. We begin this series with a special mezcal from the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán reserve at the southern limits of Puebla with Oaxaca in the largest cactus reserve in the world. To bring to you this exquisite mezcal, with a base of regional magueyes, agave marmorata and agave macrocantha, we collaborated with the Ortega family, who are master mezcaleros from the region with three generations of experience between them.
RESERVAS DE LA BIOSFERA 555 Bottles Produced • Mezcal Artesanal Blanco • Ensemble of Maguey/ Agave Marmorata & Macrocantha • Tehuacán, Puebla • Alc/Vol: 47% • Double distilled in copper pots
“Aromas: sweet cooked agave, sea water salinity Flavors: mineral saline notes, slight peaty notes, very long finish ”
AGAVE MARMORATA & MACROCANTHA With the expressed permission from the local community and local authority responsible for the care and upkeep of the natural reserve, we harvested two types of magueyes from the region: Agave Marmorata (pictured above) and agave Macrocantha, also known as Espadilla.
ORTEGA FAMILY This delicious mezcal is a joint collaboration of 3 generations coming together: Don Bernardo, grandfather and first generation mezcalero (pictured), his son Don José and son Aquilino, who have the fortune of being able to work together.
PALENQUE Water: Fresh local stream water Cooked: Roasted in a conical lava rock pit for 4 days Fermentation: Wooden oak tanks with all natural airborne yeasts for 8 – 10 days Distillation: In a copper alembic still with serpentine
CEMENTERIO MEZCALERO “All the Special editions of Mezcales de Leyenda benefit a social cause. With ’Cementerio Mezcalero,’ we will donate a significant portion of the proceeds for tourism equipment of Tzitzio, Michoacan in order to promote the ‘desentierros mezcaleros’ (mezcal unearthing) traditionally held during the celebration of ‘Día de Muertos,‘ (Day of the Dead).”
Mezcales de Leyenda presents ‘Cementerio Mezcalero’ (Mezcal Graveyard), the first edition of a collection of mezcales that honors an old tradition in which some of the best ’mezcales’ are aged in glass, generally underground, to be later unearthed for family celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, and baptisms. The ‘desentierros mezcaleros,‘ or mezcal unearthing, traditionally takes place in Titzio, Michoacan, during the month of November, for the celebration of ‘Día de Muertos,’ or Day of the Dead.
CEMENTERIO MEZCALERO
AGAVE AMERICANA SAHUAYENSIS The Agave Americana Sahuayensis grows in western Michoacán, close to Jiquilpan and Sahuayo. It is a large agave, sometimes measuring up to 2 meters tall and weighing 80 to 200 lbs. It features a graceful ondulated profile and an elegant greenish grey color.
435 Bottles Produced “Aromas: lactic qualities, roasted chestnuts and dried fruit; Flavors: buttery notes with mild smoke with a high acidity and a long finish.” • Mezcal Artesanal Blanco • 100% Maguey/Agave Americana Sahuayensis • Tzitzio, Michoacán • Alc/Vol: 48% • Double Distilled in copper pots • Aged in glass
DON GUADALUPE PÉREZ With this edition, we wish to recognize Don Guadalupe Pérez, who revived this tradition in his home town of Titzio, Michoacán. He carefully crafted this delicious mezcal and aged during 9 months in a glass demijohn three feet underground, which accentuates its sweet and aged flavours.
PALENQUE Water: Fresh local stream water Cooked: Roasted in a conical lava rock pit for 4 days Fermentation: Ground level wooden oak tanks with all natural airborne yeasts Distillation: In a copper alembic still with pine wood hat Aged: In glass during 9 months
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