Mezcal Exploratory Trip: April 24th, 2022
Logoche, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca
Day Two of our Oaxacan mezcal hunt! Christian picked us up at the hotel again right on time—and we skedaddled. We had almost a 3 hour drive ahead of us into the Miahuatlán Valley in the vicinity of Logoche.
As excited as I was to visit the Hernández brothers the day before, I was fully stoked for Sunday! This was when I’d arranged for us to go see perhaps my favorite mezcalero of all time: Hermogenes Vásquez García. I actually wrote an article about him awhile back, but we hadn’t connected for six years.
Hermogenes Vásquez García and Paula Aquino Sánchez
Despite that period away, I had continued to buy his mezcal; previously through Job and in 2020 with Max Rosenstock of Neta Spirits who works with Hermogenes (Mogen) as part of a collective of maestros in Miahuatlán. Mogen and his wife, Paula Aquino Sánchez, are partners in their palenque, as both have come from a nice, long line of mezcaleros.
Why do Mogen’s mezcales impress me so much? I have occasionally felt like asking, but then something tells me that might be perceived as trying to discover his secret or something. All I can say is earth, soil, dirt! And I love it! I used to think it was just his Cuixes, but his Espadín has the same wildly earthy character—almost always balanced with an agreeable degree of sweetness.
Here’s a little pan of Mogen and Paula’s palenque…
It was great to hear that—not only is Mogen and Paula’s son Jorge becoming initiated into the mezcalero world—but that he’d just won a major award. I think Jorge must have only been 13 the last time I visited, but now he’s 19 and very recently received the Best in Show Award at the Maestros del Mezcal national event. It was an ensamble of Barril, Mexicanito and Jabalí. Although Jorge flinched a bit when I asked if he was selling any, he was happy to give me a sip. It was outrageously delicious!
I was—and still am—so appreciative of the welcome we received from this family. I talked to Mogen about some of his memorable past distillations, he had funny stories about a mutual friend—and Alex got a ton of solid video for the documentary we’re working on.
I don’t know if Mogen remembered that I was especially a fan of his Madrecuixe or not, but it was the first thing he and Paula brought out for us. In fact there came a lineup of SIX different distillations: one each from 2018, 2019, 2020, two from 2021 and one from 2022. One of them was slightly less interesting to me than the others—and all of them were very slightly different but all were simply brilliant.
We were also able to sample the following: Bicuixe, Tepextate, Jabalí, Tobalá, Espadín and two adventurous ensambles. One combined Coyote, Madrecuixe & Bicuixe; the other joined Espadín & Bicuixe.
Ah, the conundrum… I brought a lot of pesos. I did NOT bring enough to buy everything I wanted to from Mogen that day. So I went with his beautiful Espadín and the above ensamble I’m calling “Coyote Ensamble.” The one I’m sorry about missing the most was that Espadín/Bicuixe ensamble. But Jorge told me he’d be happy to ship it; so I’m giving that a go!
I also got a lesson from Paula on the physical differences between a Madrecuixe and a Bicuixe agave. Turns out the first is somewhat more on the chubby side, while the latter is somewhat skinnier. She explains below…
Alex told me he just felt good at this palenque, and hoped we could stay for awhile. I knew what he meant. I felt so “full”—not only with mezcal—but also with the calm and generous environment Paula and Mogen have created at their home. So we did stay awhile, but pretty soon we moved on to visit some of their neighboring relatives who are also maestros mezcaleros.
Ramón García Sánchez
Directly across from Mogen and Paula’s was another property on which Ramón García Sánchez has his palenque. Ramón turns 35 this year, but has been making my favorite spirit since he was about 13 under the supervision of his father Constantino.
Ramón is also one fourth of Rancho 3 Carnales, along with his brother Wilfredo from whom I bought a delicious Espadín a couple of years ago, as well as Hugo García and Primitivo Vásquez. All of these men moved to the north of Mexico or southern United States for a time in order to make money to send back to their families. But now they’ve found a way to live in their home village, and both make mezcal and raise agaves.
Ramón was cordial, and his mezcal outstanding.
Don Tomás García Cruz and Nicolás García Vásquez
I had visited Don Tomás previously and met a couple of his sons. He is now 72 and is part of five generations of mezcal producers in this region. His productions are now mostly collaborations between him and his sons, Juan, Nicolás, and Eliazar. Here’s a brief clip from the palenque…
Like another mezcalero I visited in 2021, Don Tomás displays a plaque identifying him as a “Cultural Treasure of Mezcal.” Here is the translation of the wording that appears on it…
“To: Tomás García Cruz, who for more than 50 years has resisted modifying their Ancestral and Artisanal practices, becoming the Guardian of the Mezcal Tradition.
We also recognize his obstinacy in maintaining the prestige and authenticity of Mezcal as well as his tireless work inheriting his knowledge and culture.
You are a stronghold and a worthy benchmark for Mezcal in your community!”
Previously I’d purchased some Jabalí, Tepextate, Tobalá and Pulquero from him, but this day I latched onto a certain Espadín Capon and a Madrecuixe they had. The week after our trip, his son Nicolás García Vásquez WhatsApped me a message asking how much he could ship.
Man! I LOVE the way artesanal mezcal is still produced in the ages old tradition, BUT how guardians of it are still able to take advantage of modern shipping methods!
The Madrecuixe is excellent for all the usual reasons, but the Capon stands out as distinctively different than the one I’ve been loving for a year from Gelacio García Cruz in San Dionisio Ocotepec. It’s a little milder and sweeter. One thing I’ve realized is that—although I go gaga over great, big, full-flavored mezcales—some folks like them a touch more refined; delicious, but a bit softer. So since I’m actively involved in introducing my friends to mezcal, I think this one is going to be just right for such ones.
Back to Oaxaca City
It was just a great day; I recommend mezcal from this region to all my fellow Mezcal Maniac amigos. Christian got us back on the road to the city, but not without stopping for a little something to eat. We were very hungry!
I could have ended our trip right there, as palenque visits and mezcal hunts don’t get any better. But I won’t pretend I wasn’t still quite excited about Day 3 of our trip.
That’s up next!
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