Fidencio Clasico Mezcal

Fidencio Clasico 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 Clsico 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. 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 Clsico is distilled twice through a traditional, wood-fired, alembic still. As a result, it has an aroma of herbs, earthy minerals and raw pineapple. The aroma gives way to notes of warming smoke, pepper and cinnamon, and leads to a smooth yet spicy finish. Fidencio Clsico earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.