agave tobalá above san juan del rio
An ear of corn, a grape, a grain of barley/rye/wheat, a stalk of sugar cane: they all take about 4-6 months to mature, and they are relatively simple. Agaves are large complex plants that take at least 8 and up to 20 years to mature, sometimes more. Oaxacan agaves grow at high altitudes, often in difficult microclimates and terrain, with long periods without rain. They struggle. No wonder they yield such complex and flavorful spirits.
Until recently, almost all of the Los Nahuales mezcals were distilled from cultivated agave espadín, widely planted in Oaxaca state. The agave espadín takes some ten to twelve years to mature and, when harvested, weighs up to 160 lbs.
harvesting mature espadín
near santiago matatlan
After 9 years of an ambitious sustainability project, Los Nahuales can draw from formerly wild agave species now under cultivation, including coyote and arroqueño (both variants of agave Americana), In 2023, Los Nahuales introduced NAHUAL, a mezcal blanco distilled from 70% coyote and 30% espadín.
agave coyote
AGAVE ARROQUEÑO
As the sustainable plantings mature. Los Nahuales will introduce releases based on arroqueño.
Mature agaves espadín are big. This jimador is trimming off the roots
The trimmed agaves are called piñas, “pineapples”.
This piña weighs about 160 lbs
