Palenqueros – Valente Garcia – Madrecuishe – Batch No. VG-MA01

First launched in 2019, the PALENQUEROS range makes a long-awaited return to the US Market. Five years after the inaugural release, this second range illustrates that while many things can change – the availability of certain agaves, trends in the market, shipping costs – the quality spirit of a maestro palenquero is timeless.

When curating this collection of destilado de agave, the focus goes beyond the villages or agave varieties — this range honors the master distillers themselves: the palenqueros. Their names are proudly displayed on the labels, with their portraits featured on each bottle to highlight their craftsmanship. PALENQUEROS is a collaborative project celebrating the expertise of six artisanal producers from various villages in the state of Oaxaca with project coordinator Hector Vazquez.

Each bottling is made by producers who use only organically harvested (no pesticides) agaves, cooked and fermented spontaneously with the natural ambient yeast unique to each distillery. Distilled on small pot stills and bottled at full proof to preserve the authenticity of their historical flavors. PALENQUEROS seeks to draw a detailed map of the rich history of Oaxaca’s terroir, the diversity of agave species and the natural conditions that give the agave a deep formation during its long growing process.

VALENTE GARCIA
In the village of Santa Maria La Pila at 1552 meters above sea level, fourth generation producer Valente Garcìa, alongside his grandson Semei, offers this stunning destilado de agave produced from cultivated Madrecuishe. Cooked in an oven pit and hand crushed with a wooden mallet, the agave is fermented in cypress and pine wood vats using the ambient yeast of the distillery before it is distilled on a 350 liter copper pot still powered by direct fire. Bottled at still strength of 48.9% with no additives.
​

PRODUCTION

Producer: Valente Garcia
Location: Santa Maria La Pila, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca
Maguey: Cultivated Madrecuishe – Agave karwinskii
Cooking system: Earthen conical oven pit
Grinding system: Crushed by hand with wooden mallet
Fermentation: Five days with ambient yeast in pine & cypress wood vats

Distillation: 350 liter copper pot still

Bottling: Still strength of 48.9% abv. 933 bottles produced.

​

Tasting Notes: This rich, caramel sweetness is beautifully layered with undertones of roasted cocoa which adds depth and complexity. The mouthfeel is luxurious and enveloping, with a bittersweet finish with nutty nuance.