Batch ON1 Tech Sheet
Batch ON1 is a big one. It's out first Ensamble from Onofre. Our first expression to feature Bicuishe. And our first expression made exclusively for the United States. It's a banger.
Back in 2019 we were contacted by an American importer who was interested in representing Pensador in the States. Plans were waylaid somewhat by the pandemic, but by early 2021 we were planning our first shipment. The importer was interested in our Espadín and our Ensamble, but as Atenogenes was already close to capacity suppling the UK, we decided to work with Onofre to create a new Ensamble. As with Atenogenes' Ensamble of Espadín and Madrecuishe, we were aiming to create something both unusual and approachable: a mezcal which could excite aficionados without alienating newbies.
We initially worked on a similar split of Espadín and Madrecuishe, but we were dissatisfied with the results. Different producers working with the same maguey can draw quite distinct profiles, and Onofre's Espadin / Madrecuishe just wasn't sitting quite right for us. We worked through a number of different combinations, and eventually settled on an Ensamble of Espadín and Bicuishe, with a 70/30 split as in Atenogenes' Ensamble.
Like Madrecuishe, Bicuishe is a member of the Karwinskii family of agave, with a pronounced stem and a cylindrical piña. Unlike Madrecuishe, which is widely cultivated in Miahuatlán, Bicuishe is mostly harvested wild. This doesn't mean it's scarce; it's the most abundant wild maguey in the region - look in any given direction in Miahuatlán and you're likely to see several Bicuishe reaching their heads above the undergrowth. But it does mean that it's slightly less prevalent and and so more valued locally. The pair share some tasting notes, but are easily distinguishable: Madrecuishe having a more floral profile, while Bicuishe is richer and nuttier with distinct oaky notes.
So Onofre's Ensamble and Atenogenes Ensamble are not identical. Far from it. But they are similar in their balance, their complexity, and their ease, and so serve a similar function. Significantly, they are both muy delicioso.
Details:
Year: 2018
Town: Bramaderos
Region: Miahuatlán, Oaxaca
Master Mezcalero: Onofre Ortiz
Maguey:
70% Organic Estate Grown Espadín (Agave Angustifolia)
30% Wild Bicuishe (Agave Karwinskii)
Harvest:
3rd March 2018
170 Pinas
Total raw weight: 13000 kg
Roasting:
6th-10th March
Earthen ground oven
Guamuche and Mesquite smoked
Total cooked weight: 12500 kg
Milling:
10th - 23rd March
Hand held machete and mechanical shredder
Fermentation:
13th - 26th April
Sabino wood vat
Well water added
Natural airborne yeasts
Distillation:
16th - 29th May
360 Litre Fire Powered Copper Alembic
Number of distillations: 2
2403 Litres produced
47.70%ABV
