BALTAZAR CRUZ

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Baltazar Cruz is a first-generation Palenquero who is known for his entrepreneurial skills. The region of San Luis del Rio, which sits at 955 meters above sea level, is renowned for the quality of its soil, favorable to the cultivation of many agave varieties, including Espadín, Sierra Negra, Tepextate, Mexicano, Coyote and Mexicanito.

Baltazar uses wild harvested Tepextate agave to produce this exceptional destilado de agave. The agave is cooked in a 16-ton oven pit before it is crushed by mule-drawn tahona and fermented in pine wood vats for four days using the ambient yeast of the distillery. Distilled in his classic 300L copper stil and bottled at still strength of 48.5% abv with no additives.​

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PRODUCTION
 

Producer: Baltazar Cruz

 

Location: San Luis del Rio, Tlacolula, Oaxaca
 

Maguey: Tepextate Silvestre - Agave marmorata Roezl
 

Cooking system: Conical cone earthen oven pit
 

Grinding system: Tahona, mule drawn
 

Fermentation: Four days with ambient yeast in pine vats
 

Distillation: 300 liter copper pot still
 

Bottling: Still strength of 48.5% abv. 1000 bottles produced.

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Tasting notes: Honeyed agave notes quickly give way to a resinous quality reminiscent of freshly cut tree sap. The palate is complex, constantly evolving throughout the tasting, transitioning from herbaceous notes of pine and eucalyptus to vibrant hints of fresh citrus.