NETA Ensamble Americana

About this destilado de agave

NETA Ensamble Americana was produced by Hugo García. Over the last decade or so, many communities and families have focused their cultivation efforts on the revitalization of rare agaves which are now being reproduced and cultivated from seed and clone. The conservation of these often hyper-regional magueyes is important in the maintenance of healthy ecosystems, but for many, it is also an attempt to preserve the gusto histórico of local flavors and recipes.

A young man, Hugo García has learned the techniques of cultivation and distillation of agave from his mother, brothers, uncles, and cousins. In recent years, Hugo has been palenqueando with his cousins who have all dedicated themselves to the craft and the community, seeking to develop a secure future for Logoche and their families. In preparing this ensamble, Hugo selected four piñas en guía of Rayo, six of Sierrudo, and seven of Azulín from a white and red, rocky soil family parcel for harvest in January 2020. Hugo and family are saving the majority of their largest and remaining mother plants for seed and bulbil clone reproduction, so it could be quite a long time before another similar batch is made. Using only enough maguey to fill one Montezuma cypress sabino wood fermentation tank, Hugo composed a total of 40 liters of this batch, adjusting the alcohol level with the puntas and lower proof cuerpo from the second round of distillation in a 250L capacity copper pot still.

NETA

NETA is a colloquial word in Mexico that translates to “the real deal” or “the truth”. Since 2012, the brand has worked closely with several small, family producers and a cooperative of twelve palenqueros from the southern valleys and hills of Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. The region has preserved its reputation for producing some of the finest mezcales and agave spirits anywhere in Mexico. The team behind NETA presents a carefully curated selection of extraordinary spirits that would otherwise never be found outside of its place of origin.

A note about NETA labels: The total bottle count written on the front label might be less than the total batch size. Batches may be split between Mexico, Europe, and the US; the handwritten bottle count represents the number of bottles imported into a particular country.

Learn more about NETA:

• NETA – Spirit Distilled from Agave on the K&L Wines Spirits Journal blog
• NETA is finally here on Mezcalistas