La Venenosa Raicilla Costa de Jalisco

La Venenosa Raicilla Costa de Jalisco comes from the village of Llano Grande in the coastal Costa de Jalisco region, made for Esteban Morales by maestro tabernero Don Alberto Hernandez. It is distilled from Rhodacantha, the coastal agave known locally as amarillo, a species that gives the brighter, more structured side of the raicilla spectrum.

The pinas are roasted in an earth pit alongside black oat, then crushed by hand with wooden tools in a large wooden vessel. The juice ferments with yeast in large open wooden vats before a double distillation in a Higuera Blanca wood still. The nose is unusual and inviting, with cedar and pine, while the palate offers a fine balance between smoke and cooked agave. The finish is smoky and long lasting. Bottled joven at 47.3%, it captures both the coastal agave and the rustic earth pit roast.