Fidencio Pechuga Mezcal

Fidencio Pechuga Mezcal

Over a century ago, Fidencio Jimenez moved his family to Oaxaca, Mexico known as El Capital Mundial Del Mezcal and began distilling mezcal. Before his death, Fidencio passed the trade on to his son, Enrique, who, in turn, passed the trade onto his son, Isaac. Today, Enrique Jimenez Jr., a fourth-generation mezcalaro, oversees the entire Jimenez estate, located in Santiago Matatln (a small pueblo in Oaxaca). On the estate, espadin agave plants that are at least a decade old and have reached the peak of maturity are harvested by the hands of expert jimadors. In tribute to their Zapotec heritage, the jimadors harvest agave only under a new moon, believing that the lunar phases have a profound influence on the flavor of the agave. After harvesting, the jimadors remove the long, sharp leaves of the agave using a machete, leaving only the heart of the agave, or pias, behind. At the palenque (or distillery), the pias are split by hand with an axe into four to eight pieces. In order to craft Fidencio Fidencio Pechuga mezcal, the split pias are roasted underground over a fire made from the embers of encino (or black oak) for five days, giving the mezcal its signature, smoky flavor. This process, says Enrique, allows him to "produce a mezcal that is a pure expression of espadn, without the influence of smoke that is typically found in other mezcals." Once the pias have been roasted, they are crushed under a tahona (or stone wheel) made from rose quartz and the resulting pulp is then fermented using wild yeast for six to twelve days, depending on the weather. Fidencio Pechuga is made by distilling Fidencio Clsico mezcal a third time together with a unique recipe of fruits, including apples, bananas, pineapples and guava (all of the fruit are from the mountains of Oaxaca). In addition, a whole chicken breast, which has been skinned and washed to remove any remaining fats, is hung from the cap of the still and said to soften the intensity and round out the flavors of the mezcal. As a result, the mezcal has soft notes of spices, cinnamon and earthy minerals that are complemented by bold notes of tropical fruits and sweet vanilla. The mezcal earned a score of 90 points from Wine Enthusiast. Pick up a bottle of each today!