Placido Hernandez: Mezcal's Musical Maestro
Espina Dorada Mezcal offers a memorable Oaxacan experience!
I first heard about Placido Hernandez and his brand Espina Dorada from my friend Alastair Wilcox. A South African who’d been visiting San Miguel de Allende in 2015, I had Alastair over my house for some tastings. He’s on the quieter side, making his words count—as opposed to lengthy soliloquies. But each night when I’d return him to his rental, just before getting out of my car, he’d say…
”I rather like mezcal.”
Next thing you know he moved to Oaxaca and was diving deep into mezcal, the culture and even how to best raise agaves from seed. While I was visiting in 2016, he took me to see Placido. His operation is right on Highway 190 only about a 30 minute drive east from centro. Unfortunately el maestro wasn’t there, but his kids and wife were, and we received a thorough tasting.
2020 Visit
When my friends and I went to Oaxaca in January of 2020, we stopped by and found him zig-zagging throughout his palenque. I thought Alastair had told me Placido spoke English; so I inquired, receiving this reply…
”I speak three languages. Zapotec, Spanish and English. But sometimes after a liter of mezcal—Japanese too!”
Placido told us that when he was a young man it was a very bad time for mezcal; so he went to live near an older sister in L.A. and get some work there. That’s when he picked up English.
Placido gives a great tasting! I don’t remember everything we had in 2020, but the memorable standouts were (1) an Espadín he called “Minero,” which was somewhat mild with a touch of color. (Apparently he rests it in wood for a mere two weeks; so that may not quite qualify as a Reposado.) There was an Espadín/Cuixe ensamble that really rang my bell. Fellow Mezcal Maniac Barb Gushaw loved it too. Then there was his Barril; without question the best of that variety I’ve ever had.
I’m about to venture a guess about something for which I’m fully unqualified, but both of the latter two distillations (to me) had a sort of funk to them. Might that have come from letting the roasted agave piñas sit awhile before fermentation? A couple of weeks? A month? Maybe not, but I’ve wondered what created that funky element ever since. And to be clear: I like it!
(The Barril was so good, Mezcal Maniac Mark Satterfield commissioned Placido to make us a whole batch of it. I was immediately concerned. Sometimes a certain batch just won’t work out; did we really think buying 120 liters before tasting was wise? Well…it worked out. The Barril was good, and it’s only improved over the last two years!)
At some point Placido invited us to zip over to Santiago Matatlán where his parents live. This was a memorable experience. His papa speaks Zapotec and a bit of Spanish, but mama communicates in Zapotec only. We were told her special gift was in always being able to tell the ABV of any mezcal just from tasting. By now I’m guessing you fellow mezcal lovers have figured out that’s not always so easy!
I think a lot of palenqueros have things like this, but it was the first time I remember one: a room in the house with an awe inspiring religious altar…that is also BURSTING with mezcal!
It turns out Placido’s dad loves his Tobalá—and loves it strong! He has a little clay pot still on his property and makes it himself. Fred and I found this quite special, so Placido started pouring and pouring and pouring. It may be the only time I’ve seen genuine fear in Fred’s eyes! And speaking of fear…
After we bought three 4 liter jugs of this nectar, there were not one but TWO accidents. One cracked and leaked a bit and I actually bumped another against our vehicle door. It went something like this…
(CRACK) “NOOOOOOOOOO!”
Much of the jug was intact, so I quickly positioned it at an angle, ensuring that as much as humanly possible stayed in there. I dashed in to see Placido and show him the horror—no different than a 5 year old running to his parent. He helped salvage it as best we could, putting everything into plastic garrafones and making sure no glass shards remained. When I got home I measured them: one vessel was 63%, another 65% and the last one 68%! I still have some of this today, only bringing it out once in awhile.
It could be I overuse the term “experience.” I mean anything could be an experience. But it is perfectly evident that Placido Hernandez really wants to create a special experience for his guests. This includes picking up his guitar and singing. He does this fairly often. But on our last night, which was back at his palenque, he let us mill about in the evening while entertaining us. Here’s a video of part of that…
The next day Mark, Fred and I went back to his palenque to finalize our purchases. All the garrafones were filled and expertly taped to minimize issues in the shipping. Placido played his guitar again, and we drank again.
2021 Visit
Although on the following year we spent most of our time in Santa Maria Albarradas and San Dionisio Ocotepec, Placido had shown us such a good time that we felt we had to return.
I remember this year because not only did Placido play his guitar and sing, but after discovering Fred had learned many Mexican songs, he had him sing too! Later he told us how many amigos had messaged him asking who this big gringo was singing these traditional tunes. :-)
He had us try a few mezcales. One was a Tobalá/Madrecuixe ensamble. As he noted, both maguyes were fighting with each other for flavor prominence. There was also a straight-up Tobalá. It was so, so, so good. But I’d bought so much stuff around that time, I decided not to pull the trigger. However when my friends came over for the bottling party at my house, I tasted it again.
Great Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!
This was (and is) the most full flavored Potatorum Tobalá I’ve ever had, coming in at an extra high 57%. I regretted my decision, but no worries. The next week I messaged Placido, asking if he would send me 20 liters. He did. Then a couple of months later I asked for 20 more. I still have quite a bit of this ambrosia. If you’re thinking about coming to my house for a tasting, I’d recommend doing so before it’s gone.
Why, why, why can’t my palate fully comprehend every mezcal I taste right from the very beginning?! Seriously; I really need to try it more than once and on different days. Of course that’s not easy when you’re only stopping down at a palenque for a little while.
2022 Visit
Our trip to Oaxaca this past month was quite full. We did Santa Catarina Minas on Friday, and Santiago Matatlán on Saturday. So Sunday it was time to make the short drive to Placido’s Espina Dorada palenque. We’ve noticed improvements every time we go. Not only did he complete his underground cellar since last year, but he also had a great, big billboard-like sign on the side of his building, impossible to miss from the freeway.
Placido had others visiting during this time; so we spent most of our time in his front room, tasting his stuff. He still had some of that AMAZING Tobalá from last year, but he also had what I regard as a perfect Tepextate. That characteristic green aroma and flavor was full on, and at 46% it’s also quite palatable for those who shy away from stronger distillations. There is a relative softness with full Tepextate flavor. Had to buy some of this!
No visit to see Placido is complete without some songs! And he insisted Fred join in again. But, to be clear, no one needed to twist Fred’s arm.
He took us down into that newly completed cellar for a look. I think cellars engage the same part of my brain that used to enjoy exploring my great grandmother’s attic as a kid. Stuff everywhere! Hey, what’s that?! Whoaaa! How long has that been here? Wait; check THIS out!
Yes, Placido Hernandez’ Espina Dorada is right there on the highway only about 30 minutes from Oaxaca City. But you shouldn’t confuse him with one of those tourist trap mezcaleros. Not that I have any experience with them, but some of my acquaintances in Oaxaca have shared experiences of those whose businesses may not be focused on crafting excellent agave spirits, but instead on pawning off inferior product to inexperienced tourists. Well…one taste of Placido’s offerings and you will know why this is the furthest possible example of such a thing. Some of his mezcales are the best I’ve ever tasted.
You’ve noticed I extend an invitation to visit and taste mezcal with me if you’re ever in San Miguel de Allende. That’d be nice, but let’s be straight: if an authentic mezcal adventure is what you’re after, go to Oaxaca, and don’t forget to visit Placido for a memorable experience. Salud!