Along with Ron Cooper of del Maguey, Gustavo & Jaime Muñoz were the pioneers instrumental in bringing recognition to artisanal mezcal. In 1997, in the course of founding restaurants in Mexico City and Oaxaca with the intent of putting indigenous Mexican cuisine on the world map of serious food, and wanting to serve mezcal instead of tequila, they bought a small destilería in Santiago Matatlan, the epicenter of Oaxacan mezcal distillation. They are serious about preserving the tradition – and about sustainability.
LOS NAHUALES MEZCALS ARE UNEQUALLED: COMPLEX, RICH IN FLAVOR
AND AROMA, UNUSUALLY SMOOTH AND INTEGRATED.
Los Nahuales
LOS NAHUALES Special Release No. 1:
New release: a very small batch distilled from wild arroqueño. Beautifully distilled: subtle intensity. Balanced minerality.
LOS NAHUALES NAHUAL de Coyote:
New release: Rich and complex blanco, 70% coyote (agave Americana), 30% espadín. A masterpiece based on sustainable plantings of domesticated wild agaves: the calm espadin is the perfect backdrop for the feral coyote. Amazing value.
LOS NAHUALES Special Edition no. 5:
An ensamble of wild cirial (an agave Karwinskii variant harvested above San Juan del Rio) and a rich and forward espadín (agave angustifolia) from Yegalache in mountainous terrain above and east of Miahuatlan. Distilled by Karina Abad: displays her masterful gift for richness and balance. 414 bottles only.
LOS NAHUALES blanco Arroqueño:
Single-batch distilled from a semi-wild sub-variety of the agave Americana. Arroqueno has good acidity, meaning great flavor definition. Nice intensity. 51 bottles left.
LOS NAHUALES Sierra Negra:
Single-batch distilled from a second, and rare, sub-variety of the agave Americana, noted for its suavity. One of our favorite agaves: lovely stuff. Rich flavor. 50 bottles left.
LOS NAHUALES Nahual de Jaguar Reposado:
Most reposado mezcals aren’t worth the trouble, but this one is: aged in French Nevers and American oak for some 6-9 months: a superb and subtle mezcal. The mesquite smokiness becomes focused to something resembling peat in an Islay malt. Clean, refined, well-structured, with a deep long finish. Elegant is the word.
LOS NAHUALES Anejo:
Very little is exported to the USA: maybe 300 bottles a year. 12-18 months in French Nevers oak. Beautifully mature, with plenty of rich flavor. Very long finish. Scarce
LOS NAHUALES Metodo Antiguo (blanco):
A custom-ordered return to the ancestral method of using the tails cut (codas) to dilute the mezcal to bottling proof, instead of water. Very fresh and appealing, with lots of complexity. Unique in the US market. Scarce
LOS NAHUALES Still Proof (2nd release):
Second release. Limited bottling: an undiluted ensamble of 40% wild jabalí (agave convallis) collected in the hills of San José Lachiguiri, west of Miahuatlan, in dark thin infertile soils. Jabalí is very difficult to distill; here its acidic ferality is beautifully tamed by blending with a rich mature espadín from Pozo Blanco near Santiago Matatlan. Beautiful harmony of mineral intensity and espadín’s rich suavity. Only one bottle per order. 42 bottles left.
LOS NAHUALES Special Edition no. 2:
Distilled in March, 2016, by Karina Abad from espadín (agave angustifolia), 69.8%, and wild cuishe (agave Karwinskii Zucch.), 30.2%. The blend (ensamble) was created by roasting, milling, fermenting, and distilling in a single batch. We like ensambles using espadín: its calm richness is the perfect backdrop to the intensity and, in the case of Karwinskii, the chocolatey slight bitterness of wild agaves. Beautiful balance. 2 bottles left
LOS NAHUALES Special Edition no. 4:
One of the finest mezcals ever distilled, a single batch of espadín (agave angustifolia) from March, 2013. The extraordinary quality of the batch was recognized when it came from the still, and it was kept back to be matured in glass for five years, deepening and stabilizing its rich complexity. Just about perfect mezcal. We received a portion of the 770 bottles. 11 bottles left.