WHY GRANJA
Because we understand Mezcal not as product, but as a way of life. And the palenque life is the life of taking care of the land.
WHY NOMADA
Because the only sustainable way for Mezcal to remain true to its nature is by respecting what the land can yield. That’s why we’ll work with annual batches produced by family owned palenques.
ESPADIN
It’s the most common varietal and the one that allows the Maestro to show his skills and experience because its profile is the most popular. Our Espadin is 8 years old when it reaches the ideal age to go into the harvest in Aracely’s fields in San Carlos Yautepec. When tasting it you’ll find a very characteristic smoke notes from the roast, followed by a palate with notes from fresh herbs, red apples and ripe fruit.
TEPEZTATE
A sweet, earthy and mineral aroma is perceived, a high smoky flavor is appreciated, a cooked agave flavor with citrus notes, with a tenuous alcohol linger with a sensation of freshness, pleasant and smooth on the palate, the aftertaste allows the smoky flavor to be appreciated, the smell is soft with Notes of fresh agave and earthy, mineral flavor with minimal herbal notes.
ENSAMBLE
The production process of this mezcal is an extremely careful process from the selection of the agave hearts to make up the batch. An agave was sought that would meet the necessary requirements. The assembly process begins in the cooking phase, adding a proportion of 70 % Espadín and 30% Tepeztate, in the grinding process both agaves are mixed in the ground to achieve a fusion between both species, in the distillation process both species are mixed which offers the consumer a united experience of flavor mixed by two completely different species unified in a single batch such as our Tepeztate - Espadín ensamble mezcal.
HUGO
Hugo Quinto is 3rd generation, young Maestro working with ethically sourced agave from local farmers. He is continually inspired by the unique stories that are told among the mezcal communities, and ensuring sustainable agave growing and production are practices – not only implemented at his Palenque, but that of those in and around the Central Valley of Oaxaca.
MAESTRO
Granja Nómada is grown and produced under Hugo’s supervision at his Palenque. We built this brand based on the idea of Nomadic Farming, hence our brand name, Granja Nómada. We have no intention of forcing farmers or growers to plant outside of their capacity or will, and this is why our approach to making our mezcal is different. Our goal is to work with a variety of local farmers to sustain demand. We are cognizant of the 2 main issues limiting Mezcal production; the first is the sustainable practices of agave growth, the other being the capacity of a Palenque. “Nómada” represents the idea of a “Nomad” or “Nomadic”. Our approach to work with multiple farmers, or “Granja’s” is our solution to the unfair practices that exist in mezcal making today. Granja Nómada Mezcal is an introduction and opportunity to surprise and delight the richness arising from authentic craftsmanship in producing this Mezcal.
PROCESS
Double distillation in copper stills. The first 5 liters of heads are separated, then the body is used for a second distillation, the last 10 liters -tails- are also not used. Pine Oak Wood is used to slowly heat the stills.
STEP 1: GROW
8 Years of Maturation. The bright sun, perfect amount of rain and rich culture allows our Espadín Agave plants to grow perfectly. Our Espadín has a post maturation of 8 Years before they are harvested
STEP 2: HARVEST
Agaves leaves are cut using a Machete and Cuña in order to gain the heart or the Piña. It takes roughly 10 - 15 tons of harvested Piña’s in order to make one distillation batch of our Agave.
STEP 3: ROAST
We cook our Piña’s for 6 days in earthen pit oven. We also fill the oven with locally chopped Oak Wood and then cover the top of the oven with soil to “roast” or cook.
STEP 4: CRUSH
We use the traditional method of a Tahona Wheel to crush our agave. From one batch of crushed agave, it allows us to fill about 2 fermentation tubs per day.
STEP 5: FERMENTATION
Using a natural, open-air fermentation is best to attract elements of the environment. We are fermenting in wooden vats for 15 days.
STEP 6: DISTILLATION
Oak Wood is used to slowly heat the stills. Granja Nómada is double distilled in copper stills. The first 5 liters of Granja (heads) are separated out from the rest of the distillate. The body of Granja (heart) is drawn and used as the distillate for the second distillation. We properly discard the last 10 liters (tails), and they are re-distilled.
STEP 7: BOTTLING
We bring our final distillate to a bottling facility about 10 minutes away from our Palenque. We clean the bottles with Granja Nómada, in an effort to remove dust particles that may have settled in the bottles. Bottles are filled and all elements (the front, back and top strip labels) are applied by hand.
