Del Maguey Santa Catarina Minas Mezcal Tequila

Del Maguey Santa Catarina Minas — known as Minero — is the most unique production expression in the Del Maguey portfolio: the only mezcal distilled in an ancient clay still with bamboo tubing rather than the copper pot stills used for all other expressions, producing a distinctly fruitier, floral, and more aromatic character that no copper distillation can replicate.

Santa Catarina Minas sits one hour beyond Chichicapa through a mountain pass in an arid semi-tropical microclimate. Florencio Carlos Sarmiento and his sons have been producing mezcal here for generations in the most methodical and organized palenque Del Maguey works with — including a cistern system to cool and recycle distillation water. The clay still is the defining production element: where copper conducts heat efficiently and strips sulfur compounds, clay conducts heat more gently and allows different compounds to carry through, producing the floral fruit character — flower essence, vanilla, fig, and burnt honey — that makes Minero unique among the portfolio's Espadin expressions.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Flower essence, vanilla, and figs with burnt honey and a hint of lemon
• Palate: Deep, warm, and sweet — the fruit and floral character from clay distillation carries throughout
• Finish: Long and sweet all the way to the close

Specs

• Producer: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
• Village: Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
• Agave: Espadin (Agave angustifolia)
• Still: Ancient clay still with bamboo tubing — unique in the Del Maguey portfolio
• ABV: 49.1% (98.2 Proof)
• Size: 750ml

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