NETA Madrecuixe – Tomás García Cruz

About this destilado de agave

NETA Madrecuixe from Tomás García Cruz was originally released in the US as part of Agave Mixtape Vol 2. Per Agave Mixtape:

Timing their harvest with the lunar cycle of January 2020, Don Tomás and family included 15 large, 2-year capón Madrecuixe agaves harvested from gravelly, white earth the maestro knows as tierra blanca pedregosa. The maguey was left to rest in the sun for six days before being roasted with local mesquite wood. Upon their unearthing, the piñas were left to sit for an additional three days before being chopped and shredded. Corresponding to the “cook” of the maguey, the quantity of convertible sugars, and the ambient temperatures, Don Tomás patiently waited three days before adding 600 liters of well water to the 600kg of maguey. Assisting along the way, and nearly always present on the palenque, was Faustino, who’s been working with the family for nearly a decade. Final adjustments were made using selected sections of the second round of distillation and composed a total of 80 liters. Don Tomás sold us half and kept the other 40 liters to store in his newly constructed personal reserve of glass-aged joyas.

Agave Mixtape

Agave Mixtape brings the best agave spirits together in one place – your place. Agave Mixtape is a subscription based service. Subscribers receive boxes with three 200ml bottles from three different brands – Lalocura, Mal Bien, and Neta (and maybe a few surprises) – filled with batches picked especially for Agave Mixtape, and not available anywhere else in the USA. Each box includes production notes on the batches, along with links to photos, and virtual tastings with the people behind the brands and the mezcaleros. You can subscribe directly from their website.

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