Stories
The Women of Mezcal Champion Certified Tasting Protocols
It was great to chat with Eléctrico Mezcal’s mezcalera neighbour in San Baltazar Guelavila, Dena Chagoya the other day. Dena is the President of Las Mujeres del Mezcal, the Women of Mezcal and Eléctrico’s own Isabel Morales Santiago is her Vice President, so San Baltazar Guelavila women are pretty influential.
Macedonia, Music, and Mezcal in Mexico
Before mezcal had ignited a spark in her imagination, Eléctrico Mezcal founder Kathleen Blackwell had fallen for Oaxaca. At the recommendation of her sound engineer, Diego López, she and her producer, Ronan Chris Murphy had booked one of Oaxaca City’s greatest auditoriums as a recording venue. There, they set out to capture the remarkable playing of local musicians for her multi-cultural Project Eléctrico.
Kathleen’s Epiphany
Tlacolula is a long way to go to play a pipe organ, at least if you live in Austin, Texas. Tlacolula is in the heart of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It’s a bustling market town with plenty of history, but it’s not the first stop on most tourist routes. But if you’re a musician and you want to add real atmosphere to your recording, the 18th Century pipe organ in in the church of Santa María de la Asunción is worth the journey.
The Big Piña
If you wonder why tobalá, cuishe, jabalí and others are more expensive compare the espadín piña in the photo with the tobalá ones behind it. The tobalá are about the size of a soccer ball, that espadín weighed in at 450lbs.
The Magic of Las Perlas
Eléctrico’s different mezcals have an Alcohol by Volume (AbV) rating of around 42-47%, depending on the variety of agave distilled, how long it has matured and whether there is a ‘Distilled With’ ingredient such as lemongrass or tepehuaje bark.
Marfil the Magnificent
One of the key members of the Eléctrico Mezcal team is Marfil. She is a very special breed of mare, a Criollo.
Glass Over a Barrel
As for colour, we love our single malt whisky, armagnac and rich bourbon, and they definitely need the tannins and flavours of the barrels they’re stored in.
Less Smoke, More Glow
There are those who believe mezcal should taste really smoky. There are those who think it should be a golden-brown colour. Eléctrico’s Maestro Mezcalero Cirino thinks otherwise.
No Added Flavorings?
Eléctrico’s ‘Distilled With’ Mezcal are not simply added flavourings. We don’t add anything after the distillation process is completed. The designation ‘Distilled With’ is strictly regulated, and the additional flavour has to come from ingredients added during the distillation process.
The day the men with machines came to town
A few years back, an enterprising company visited San Baltazar to try to persuade the local mezcaleros to modernize. They brought a machine for grinding, juicing and separating the aguamiel, the honey-water, from the fibrous bagasse of the roasted agave hearts.
A marriage made in heaven
Eugenia is the madre of Eléctrico Mezcal. She is the smiling force of nature that drives Maestro Cirino and their children to create some of the finest mezcal in the world.