Animas
PRODUCTS
Mezcal Animas is an offering from our master mezcalero to summon Mayahuel. In this ritual, the spirits of the Agave give life to the sacred rabbits that as a liquid spirit, allow us to enter a mystical world.
PRODUCTs
Animas
Espadin
Master Distiller: Humberto Juan
ABV: 44%
Agave: Espadín (Angustifolia Haw)
Maturation: 7 years
Region: San Juan del Río, Tlacolula
Cook: Conical earthen pit with local firewood – 5 day cook
Fermentation: 5+ days in pine wood vats with 160 meter deep well water
Distillation: Double distillation in copper pot stills
Tasting Notes: Sweet roasted agave with herbal notes and a touch of smoke.
Animas
Ensamble
Master Distiller: Humberto Juan
ABV: 48%
Agave: Espadín (Angustifolia Haw) and Papalote (Cupreata)
Maturation: 7 years (espadín) 9 years (papalote)
Region: San Juan del Río, Tlacolula (espadín) Mixteca (papalometl)
Cook: Conical earthen pit with local firewood – 5 day cook
Milling: Tahona (volcanic grinding stone pulled by mule)
Fermentation: : 5+ days in pine wood vats with 160 meter deep well water.
Distillation: Double distillation in copper pot stills
Tasting Notes: Fresh and herbal with backend notes of caramel and a dry finish
Animas
Papalote
Master Distiller: Humberto Juan
ABV: 48%
Agave: Papalote (Cupreata)
Maturation: 9 years
Region: Mixteca
Cook: Conical earthen pit with local firewood – 5 day cook
Milling: Tahona (volcanic grinding stone pulled by mule)
Fermentation: 5+ days in pine wood vats with 160 meter deep well water.
Distillation: Double distillation in copper pot stills
Tasting Notes : Rich caramelized agave with a fresh menthol finish
Animas
Tobalá
Master Distiller: Humberto Juan
ABV: 47%
Agave: Tobalá (Potatorum)
Maturation: 10 years
Region: San Juan del Río, Tlacolula
Cook: Conical earthen pit with local firewood – 5 day cook
Milling: Tahona (volcanic grinding stone pulled by mule)
Fermentation: 5+ days in pine wood vats with 160 meter deep well water.
Distillation: Double distillation in copper pot stills
Tasting Notes : Tropical aromas, citrus, wet wood, mango, pineapple, tobacco, dried berries, and subtle sweet lactic note. Fresh and dry sensation on the palate with green chilli, fresh mint and floral tones.
ABOUT Animas
Mezcal Animas is made in the mountain town of San Juan del Río located east of Oaxaca city in Tlacolula district. The mountainous valley area is famous not only for mezcal, but for the picturesque landmark Hierve el Agua.
Here, the mineral-rich fresh water that runs through the town gives the mezcal a distinct, refreshing characteristic that helps make Mezcal Animas so delicious.
Process
The agaves are carefully selected after reaching their peak maturity and are extracted from the land. Cutting the penca (leaves) of the agave leaves us with the agave heart, known as the piña (pineapple) because of its appearance, and takes with it all the flavours of the land that it was nutured with over its years of growth.
Our agave gets cooked in underground stone ovens (with wood gathered on the same community the mezcal will be made), for over 5 days. This process will change the organoleptic properties of the agave as well as giving it a distinct amber colour.
Once the agave is removed from the oven and let rest to cool, it will get ground on a stone mill (tahona) to extract all of the juice and increase surface area for fermentation.
The fiber, flesh and juice get placed in wooden tanks and are left to ferment with the natural microbiota. This process takes 5 or more days depending on the weather and microorganisms in the surrounding air. During this process, yeasts get developed and will transform the sugar into alcohol, named tepache.
The tepache, flesh and fiber are placed in a copper pot still. Distillation has 2 stages, The first distillation yields low-grade alcohol and is known as ordinario. Then there is a second distillation named rectificación, to separate the superior alcohols, and it gets blended to obtain a consistent grade of alcohol, extracting the pure soul of the agave and condensing it in every drop of mezcal.