Review: Santo Cuviso Bacanora Blanco

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Free sample bottled provided by Preiss Imports.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Casa TresAmigos

• Distilled by: Manuel “El Toro” Chacón in Bacanora, Sonora

• Agave: Angustifolia

• Cooking: Horno (earthen pit oven)

• Crush: Mechanical Mill

• Fermentation: Natural fermentation

• Still Type: Copper Pot

• Spirit Type: Bacanora

• Strength: 45% ABV

• Price: $88

The agave spirit known as bacanora is named after the town of Bacanora in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. Like many other indigenous spirits, bacanora went though a period of prohibition. But, even after prohibition ended, bacanora was almost exclusively consumed locally. However in 2000, the Mexican government gave bacanora its own denomination of origin to protect its production and name like they did with tequila and mezcal.

Santo Cuviso is made in the town of Bacanora by maestro Manuel “El Toro” Chacón, a third generation bacanoro. El Toro, harvest mature cultivated agave angustifolia, also know as espadin in Oaxaca, and cooks them in a conical earthen pit oven. Once the agaves are cooked, they are milled and ferment naturally by wild yeast for up to 12 days. After fermentation, the must is double distilled in copper pot stills. Post-distillation, the spirit is allowed to rest in 5 liter glass jugs between 10 and 14 days. This rest period allows the spirit to settle which is a well know practice for making unaged spirits more refined. After the rest period the spirit is bottled at 45% ABV.

In April 2019, Santo Cuvios Bacanora Blanco earned a Gold medal and named Agave Spirit of the Year from the American Distilling Institute’s Judging of Craft Spirits.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The nose has a fantastic aromas of fruit, citrus and a bright green vegetal note. As the spirit warms, the aroma opens and develop into notes of hard aged cheese or even a salty Oaxacan cheese.

Palate: On the palate the spirit is smooth and elegant with just a touch of sweetness. Then the flavors explode with wonderful notes of fruit and green agave.

Finish: On the finish, the bright fruitiness lingers with a somewhat dry ashy character the serves as a nice counterpoint to the fruit. Again, as the spirit warms in the glass, the finish transforms into chocolate caramel!

Conclusion: Santo Cuviso Bacanora Blanco is simply outstanding and if you are a fan of artisanal mezcal or you have tried other bacanoras then do yourself a favor and go find a bottle or ask your local liquor store to order one for you. The spirit is packed with flavor, complexity and it is extremely well balanced. Words alone cannot do this justice so go tastes some fast.

Santo Cuviso Bacanora Blanco Review | Tequila Aficionado Sipping off the Cuff

Review: Miel de Tierra Espadin Mezcal Artesanal

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Free sample bottled provided by Preiss Imports.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Miel de Tierra

• Distilled by: Don Hector Mateo in Santiago de Matatlán, Oaxaca

• Agave: Espadin

• Cooking: Horno (earthen pit oven)

• Crush: Tahona

• Fermentation: Natural fermentation in pine vats

• Still Type: Copper Alembic Pot Still

• Spirit Type: Joven Mezcal Artesanal

• Strength: 40% ABV

• Price: $55

Miel de Tierra Espadin Mezcal Artesanal is distilled by maestro mezcalero Don Hector Mateo in Santiago de Matatlán, Oaxaca. Don Hector harvest the agaves once they’ve reached maturity, between six and eight years old. Once harvested, the agaves are cooked in an earthen pit oven, and then crushed with a three-ton tahona before being fermented in open air pine vats by wild yeast. After fermentation, it is double distilled in a copper alembic pot still, proofed to 40% ABV and bottled unaged. According to the brand, Miel de Tierra shares a portion of the profits from every bottle sold in helping to conserve wild honeybees in rural Mexico.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The nose has a classic aroma of artisanal mezcals from espadin, with light floral notes intermixed with earthy aromas of smoke.

Palate: On the palate, the mezcal delivers with a wonderful and bright flavor of herbaceous lime gently supported by the smoke.

Finish: The mezcal finishes incredibly smooth without any of the burn that you sometimes find in more rustic unrefined mezcals.

Conclusion: Miel de Tierra Espadin is a great introduction to the classic aromas and flavors of Oaxacan mezcal distilled from espadin. At 40% ABV the mezcal has solid flavor without any burn and shows the skill of the maker. This is a very tasty mezcal that can please those who already enjoy the category and can serve as a perfect introduction for those interested in tasting what the hype about mezcal is all about.

For more information watch my review with Mike Morales on Tequila Aficionado’s Sipping off the Cuff.

Miel de Tierra Espadin Mezcal Artesanal Review | Tequila Aficionado Sipping off the Cuff

Review: Miel de Tierra Salmiana Mezcal Artesanal

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Free sample bottled provided by Preiss Imports.

AT A GLANCE

• Owned by: Miel de Tierra

• Distilled by: Don Juan Zarur Flores in Mexquitic de Carmona, San Luis Potosí

• Agave: Salmiana

• Cooking: Horno (earthen pit oven)

• Crush: Tahona

• Fermentation: Natural fermentation in pine vats

• Still Type: Copper Alembic Pot Still

• Spirit Type: Joven Mezcal Artesanal

• Strength: 40% ABV

• Price: $75

Miel de Tierra Salmiana Joven Mezcal Artesanal is distilled by maestro mezcalero Don Juan Zarur Flores in Mexquitic de Carmona, San Luis Potosí. Agave salmiana reaches maturity around 10 years old when it is harvested and cooked in an earthen pit oven. After cooking the agaves are crushed with a three-ton tahona and fermented in open air pine vats by wild yeast. After fermentation, it is double distilled in a copper alembic pot still, then proofed to 40% ABV and bottled unaged. Agave salmiana is commonly used in the production of pulque. According to the brand, Miel de Tierra shares a portion of the profits from every bottle sold in helping to conserve wild honeybees in rural Mexico.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The nose is a complex mixture of savory aromas like hard aged cheese and smoked meats, followed by a sweet note of cooked agave and pickled carrots like those found in your local taqueria.

Palate: The palate starts very sweet and then transforms into a lovely savory umami character.

Finish: On the finish faint notes of smoke float up from the back of your throat and continues its nice balance of sweet and savory.

Conclusion: Miel de Tierra Salmiana is a very balanced and approachable mezcal that expresses the core character of the agave without being overpowered by smoke. This is likely to appeal to mezcal fans as well as tequila drinkers who are interested in trying mezcal. Sip neat and enjoy.

For more information watch my review with Mike Morales on Tequila Aficionado’s Sipping off the Cuff.

Miel de Tierra Salmiana Joven Mezcal Artesanal Reveiw | Tequila Aficionado Sipping off the Cuff

From bark to Bourbon: The Wild Yeast of Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co.

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Design by Gail Sands

Yeast is an amazing organism. It’s a fungus, one we encounter every day—not  only through the fermented beverages we drink and the bread we eat, but also in the very air we breath. For millennia, humankind collaborated with wild yeast to produce wine, beer and bread, yet with no understanding how it functioned on a molecular level. With the invention of  the microscope, we developed the skills and techniques to domesticate a few  strains of yeast suitable to our needs, but the vast majority remain wild, floating on the wind, ready to be discovered (or avoided).

In 2009, Rob Arnold moved from Tennessee to Dallas to begin a doctoral program in biochemistry. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, Arnold was at home in the labs of the University of Texas. He spent many of his days isolating marine bacteria from samples of sea water. Yet, in his off time, Arnold began to dream of starting a distillery. His family had been in the alcohol industry for generations, and it seemed to him the right avenue for applying his skills and passion.

As Arnold began exploring the idea of distilling, he met Leonard Firestone and Troy Robertson, who were already in the process of starting a distillery in Fort Worth. As the three men talked, they realized they shared a common vision, and that each possessed skills valuable to a potential collaboration. Even from the beginning, Firestone and Robertson had known that they wanted a proprietary yeast strain for their wheated bourbon. And Arnold seemed to be the right man to make that a reality.

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In September 2010, not long after the founding of the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, Arnold joined the  team and went to work looking for yeast. But to do it right,  he was going to need a lab. He reached out to local colleges, and Professor Dean Williams of Texas Christian University responded. Williams helped Arnold set up a lab, advised him on using equipment, and even helped him gain adjunct faculty status so he could come and go at the University as needed.

Arnold immediately began collecting samples from the distillery, which is located in a pre-Prohibition brick warehouse. He even took samples from his own home. Arnold applied the samples to petri dishes and waited to see what would grow. The petri dishes, or plates, contained a growing medium similar
to wort, intended to encourage the growth of yeast species suited to fermentation. However, when Arnold examined his first set of plates, none contained a desirable yeast strain.

Because not all yeast species are capable of fermenting the complex sugars within a bourbon mash into alcohol, the three focused specifically on finding Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a variety widely used by brewers and winemakers. Due to millennia  of selective pressure, S. cerevisiae has evolved into an effective fermenter of maltose, capable of surviving in an alcohol solution at concentrations deadly to most other bacteria and micro-organisms.

As the search for S. cerevisiae continued, Arnold headed out of Fort Worth to Rancho Hielo Brazos in Glen Rose, Texas. The ranch manager there, as it turned out, happened to have a background in botany. Arnold spent half a day with the ranch manager traversing the property, collecting samples from the dirt and a variety of plants. Back at the lab, the 20 samples he collected netted hundreds of different bacteria and fungi, including yeast.

Once again, Arnold went through the work of isolating each of the yeast strains by plating and re-plating them repeatedly. In the end, the 20 samples Arnold brought back from the ranch yielded 100 separate yeast strains. To whittle that number down to a manageable size, he used a technique  called Polymerase Chain Reaction to isolate the DNA of each strain. Upon analysis, it turned out 11 of the 100 strains were S. cerevisiae. Arnold checked his notes, and discovered that all 11 came from just three sources on the ranch: a cactus fruit,  an oak tree and a pecan tree.

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Arnold then tested his 11 wild yeast strains against a couple of commercial strains in a series of fermentation trials. For a month, he pitched these yeasts into a standardized wort and recorded when fermentation began, when it stopped, and how well each strain consumed the available sugars. He noticed that almost all of the wild S. cerevisiae strains began fermenting right away, although most stalled after 36 hours. Out of the 11 wild yeast strains, only three were capable of fully fermenting the wort and able to hold up to alcohol without dying.

The team ran fermentation results from the final three wild strains, plus a commercial strain, through a blind sensory analysis. They nosed and tasted the distiller’s beer and the white  dog resulting from each yeast strain to see which they liked best. All three picked the same strain as their clear favorite, which they named Brazos.

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Arnold checked his notes, and he and the team were delighted to find that all their effort had paid off—not only had they all picked the same wild yeast, but it also came from the same source: a pecan nut. Native to Texas and a number of other states, the pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) has been the
official state tree of Texas since 1906. 

From the beginning, Firestone and Robertson had dreamed of creating a Texas bourbon that represents the home that they love. It was pure serendipity that, after all of Arnold’s hard work to find a wild yeast strain that could imbue their bourbon with the character of Texas, they found it waiting on a  Texas pecan nut. To protect all that they had accomplished, their Brazos yeast strain is now stored in deep freezers at the distillery as well as at a couple of universities in the area. If Firestone & Robertson ever needed to start from scratch, they have a number of ready samples stored for just such a purpose.

Once they settled on Brazos as their house yeast strain, they went into high gear distilling and laying down barrels of bourbon to age. Firestone & Robertson are making wheated bourbon. The wheat, corn and barley are milled, mashed, then fermented in open stainless steel fermenters using the
Brazos yeast strain. Once fermentation is complete, the wash is pumped into the stills grain and all. Firestone & Robertson stills are a pot-column hybrid, custom built by Vendome Copper & Brass Works, designed so they can distill bourbon in a single pass.

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When enough hearts are collected, they pour the spirit into 53 gallon barrels from Independent Stave. Slowly but surely  the stacked barrels are filling up the open floor plan of their brick warehouse, with the oldest barrels in a loft overlooking the distillery floor. According to Arnold, the brick helps to moderate the hot summer temperatures, which can reach into the 100s, and also keeps temperatures stable through the  mild winters.

In the loft, a barrel marked “Brazos” has been quietly sitting  for three years, working its magic with the spirit inside. Arnold, using a copper whiskey thief, drew a small sample and poured it into a nosing glass. Three years in, their bourbon has a fantastic color of deep amber and burnished copper. A nice aroma of vanilla, cinnamon and caramel danced in concert with the oak just above the rim of the glass. Higher notes of floral and fruity esters lingered faintly in the background. At first taste there is an immediate impression of young wood mingled with walnuts, and a lingering maple syrup sweetness that floats on the tongue. Even at barrel strength the bourbon  was supple and smooth, without any harsh heat.

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Firestone & Robertson is one of a very small group of distilleries to isolate a wild yeast strain for making spirits. The micro-distilling industry’s vast opportunities for artistry and creativity drive their passion. In the meantime, their bourbon is developing a uniquely Texas flavor born of the pecan trees
in the watershed of the Brazos River.

Originally published as part of the "Defining Craft" series in Distiller Magazine (Summer 2015): 90-92.