Aqara Agave de Los Andes Agreste

Aqara is at the forefront of the next wave, expanding the agave category. With their own unique production techniques, rather than simply trying to imitate tequila or mezcal, we are beginning to see how producers from various agave growing regions are able to express terroir through agave. Origin: Caraz, PeruAgave: Ensamble of Americana Expansa Gentry and Cordillerensis Harvest: 10 years (24 brix) Crush: Cut by hand using a machete into 1-2 inch cubes. For Agreste, the jimador leaves 1/2" more verde on the agave at harvest than the Plateado, adding more distinct agave flavor in the resulting distillate. Cook: 7 hours (mash tun using a steam jacket) with local filtered water Fermentation: Stainless steel tanks using dry yeasts and 5-10% of the bagazo (leftover agave fibers); for 12 hours anaerobic and a further 60 hours aerobic Distillation: Double in two copper pot stills (120 and 150 liters respectively) Resting: At least 3 months Yield: 18 kilos of wild agave will yield 1 liter of sp