LA MAJADERA
PRODUCTS
Mezcal inspired by the women of the Mexican Revolution, who called themselves majaderas or soldaderas. They achieved great feats; they commanded armies, brigades and combat units; they knew the terrain.
Beyond the myth of the Adelita, these women had their own names; a true honour for Mexico to have this caste of warriors.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Agave: Cenizo (Agave durangensis)
Maturity: 9-13 years
Region: El Mezquital, Durango
Maestro Mezcalero: Arturo Conde Guerrero
ABV: 45%
Category: Blanco/Joven Artesanal
Awards
AMM – Gran Oro 2023
AGAVIT Awards – Best Bottle 2021
Cava Magazine – Top 100 mezcales
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Clean, crystalline
Nose: Very slight smoke, white flowers, chamomile, wild marigold and wet grass. Wet earth, forest (moss). Citrus such as mandarin and lemon.
Palate: Initial boldness, brought on by the relatively high alcoholic content, but perfectly balanced with the agave sweetness so as not to irritate the tongue. Notes of citrus, vanilla, and spices such as white pepper. Slight pleasant effervescent sensation on the tongue.
Finish: Long-lasting on the palate, refreshing it little by little with a forest-like freshness and fragrant orange.
La Majadera is a premium mezcal brand located in the northern Mexican state of Durango, a land of rancheros, nopales and of course, agaves. Being a semi-arid climate situated on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, Durango has the perfect conditions for growing agaves. Following Oaxaca, Durango is one of the states with the highest diversity of agaves as well as a long history of mezcal production. It is home to many species of agaves; cenizo (agave durangensis) is by far the most prevalent in the wild and used for mezcal production.
While the municipality of Nombre de Dios (east of the capital) has the highest output of mezcal in Durango with many new brands emerging, El Mezquital to the south with its rugged hills and valleys has a long history of agave use and family-run vinatas (distilleries) of excellent quality.
La Majadera is made with 100% wild agave cenizo sourced in the hills near the vinata by a 5th generation maestro mezcalero, Arturo Conde Guerrero. Arturo is an extremely skilled producer from a family with many ties to mezcal production in the area.
The piñas (hearts of the plant) are transported to the rural vinata near Pino Suárez where they are cooked in a traditional underground oven for 3 days, heated with local mesquite and oak wood and volcanic stones. The cooked agave is then milled in an electric shredder before being added to open wooden fermentation vats or stainless steel “coffins”.
As the fermentation process is completely natural, it is dependent on the weather and the amount of wild yeasts in the environment. This means that the process can take generally anywhere from 3-5 days.
Finally, the fermented product is double distilled in alembic pot stills (1st distillation copper and 2nd in stainless steel) to filter out any impurities and to concentrate the aromas and flavours.
