La Venenosa Raicilla Sierra Occidental de Jalisco

La Venenosa Raicilla Sierra Occidental de Jalisco hails from the mountain town of Mascota in the Sierra Occidental, long a draw for raicilla lovers. Made for Esteban Morales, it is distilled from Maximiliana, the sierra agave around which Mexican folk belief weaves healing legends, and a clear marker of the mountain rather than coastal style.

The agave hearts are roasted in a clay oven over robust oak wood, then crushed by hand with wooden tools in the traditional way. The juice ferments with wild yeast and is refined through a single distillation in Arab Philippine copper vessels. The nose offers an unusual bouquet of papaya and avocado, while the palate delivers a fruity, fresh interplay of lemon and lime before a profound peppery heat and mineral notes bring it to a close. Bottled joven at 42%, spirited and distinctly of its highland terroir.