NETA Tobaziche

About this destilado de agave

NETA Tobaziche was distilled by Mezcalero Celso García Cruz in May 2017. His palenque is located in Lachigüizo, a mezcalero community, located outside of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz in the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca. In Miahuatlán, maguey Tobaziche is an increasingly rare agave endemic to this region. Prized for its beauty and sugar content, this variety of agave Karwinskii is relatively slow to mature, taking around 16 years before it is ready to harvest. Tobaziche is generally a cultivated, or semi-cultivated varietal, but because of its bizarre relationship to the Madrecuixe, small feral populations do exist.

In April 2017, Celso harvested four nearly-flowering Tobaziches growing in a rocky, white soil hillside near his palenque. When he roasted, mashed, fermented, and distilled them the following month, they yielded just 44 liters at an ABV of 47.2% (40 liters are for sale). Made specifically with NETA in mind, this small batch was the only Tobaziche produced in the community in 2017.

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