PROCESS

EACH PRODUCTION IS THE EXPRESSION OF A MAESTRO’S MOMENT WITH AGAVE

EVERY HARVEST HAS IT’S OWN STORY.

Every agave distillate is the result of many individual decisions. Some begin in the field years before harvest. Others are made during cooking, fermentation, distillation or maturation. Many are shaped by the experience of the people involved and by the conditions surrounding each production.

The archive records these stages to provide context for each release.

Agave Destilados documents the people, places and decisions that shape agave distillates. The archive is the work; the bottle is simply one outcome of that work.

Each archive preserves the decisions that shaped that production.

01 — FIELD & HARVEST

Every production begins long before cooking or distillation.

The condition of the agave, the environment in which it was grown and the judgement of those selecting the plants establish the foundation of the production. Harvest timing, plant maturity and local growing conditions all contribute to the characteristics of the harvested agave.

Where available, these details form the opening section of the production record.

Production Record

  • Agave species or variety

  • Region

  • Rancho or field

  • Elevation

  • Soil characteristics

  • Estimated plant age

  • Harvest season

  • Harvest dates

  • Harvest team

  • Average piña weight

  • Brix

02 — COOKING

Cooking converts the carbohydrates stored within the agave into fermentable sugars.

Cooking methods differ between producers and may be influenced by local traditions, available equipment and the objectives of a particular production. Duration, cooling time and oven design all become part of the production record.

Production Record

  • Cooking method

  • Oven type

  • Fuel source (where applicable)

  • Cooking duration

  • Cooling duration

  • Batch size

03 — EXTRACTION

Extraction separates fermentable juice from the cooked agave.

A production may rely on a single extraction method or combine multiple approaches. Each method influences workflow and forms part of the documented production record.

Production Record

  • Extraction method(s)

  • Tahona percentage (where applicable)

  • Roller mill percentage (where applicable)

  • Bagasse inclusion

  • Fibre management

04 — FERMENTATION

Fermentation transforms fermentable sugars into alcohol through the activity of yeast and naturally occurring microorganisms.

Duration, environmental conditions, fermentation vessels and production choices vary between producers and individual batches. These variables are documented where available.

Production Record

  • Fermentation vessel

  • Yeast source (where known)

  • Open or closed fermentation

  • Bagasse inclusion

  • Water source

  • Fermentation duration

  • Temperature (where recorded)

  • Initial and final Brix (where recorded)

05 — DISTILLATION

Distillation concentrates alcohol and aromatic compounds produced during fermentation.

Equipment, distillation sequence and the decisions made throughout the process differ between productions. These details are documented to provide context for each release.

Production Record

  • Still type

  • Material

  • Number of distillations

  • Distillation method

  • Distillation proof

  • Heads, hearts and tails management (where documented)

06 — RESTING

Not every production moves directly from distillation to bottling.

Some distillates are rested in stainless steel, glass or other inert vessels before bottling. Resting allows the spirit to stabilise without introducing characteristics from wood.

Production Record

  • Vessel type

  • Resting duration

  • Storage conditions (where available)

  • Bottling proof

07 — MATURATION

Some productions continue beyond resting through maturation in wood.

Barrel type, previous use, environmental conditions and time all contribute to the resulting distillate. These details are documented alongside the broader production record rather than viewed in isolation.

Production Record

  • Barrel type

  • Previous barrel contents

  • Cooperage (where known)

  • Barrel size

  • Entry proof

  • Time in wood

  • Warehouse or storage location

  • Bottling proof

08 — WATER

Water influences multiple stages of production, from fermentation through to proofing before bottling.

Where information is available, the archive documents the source and treatment of water used throughout production.

Production Record

  • Water source

  • Filtration or treatment

  • Water used for proofing

  • Mineral information (where available)

09 — PEOPLE & PLACE

Every production reflects the work of many individuals.

Farmers, harvest teams, cooks, mill operators, fermentation teams, distillers, coopers, bottling teams and countless others contribute knowledge and experience throughout the process.

Whenever possible, the archive documents the people involved alongside the production itself.

Production Record

  • Producer

  • Maestro or production lead

  • Harvest team

  • Distillation team

  • Collaborators

  • Production dates

  • Production location

Every production documented within the Agave Destilados archive represents a specific place, time and group of people.

The objective is not to define a single way of producing agave distillates, but to document each production as accurately as possible, preserving the information that accompanies it for future reference.