NETA Ensamble Hugo Garcia

Young palenquero Hugo García Maldonado has been refining his craft every year and produces some of our favorite spirits in Logoche.

Working alongside his cousins, Ramón and Wilifrido, and their brother in-law, Primitivo, the young men carry the torch passed on to them by their mothers and fathers. While tradition has guided them well, they continue to experiment with different techniques and different agaves, many of which they cultivate themselves. Such craft has lent itself to the inclusion of the saponin-rich agave Jabalín in many of their productions, adding a distinct quality to the aromas and flavors of these spirits. The crafting of ensambles is part of a long-standing regional practice that reveals the complexities of the local landscape, bearing witness to the region and the skill of the maker. About half the batch was sold locally by Hugo.

• Maguey(es): Jabalín, Tobalá, Espadín, Madrecuixe
• Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown and wild-harvested on family land 
• Producer: Hugo García Maldonado § Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán 
• Date of production: February 2022
• Soil type: white, rocky cascajo blanco earth
• Rest time after harvest: Five days
• Oven: Conical earthen oven; Five days with mesquite wood and oak
• Maceration: Machete and mechanical shredder
• Fermentation: Native yeasts; two 1200L Montezuma cypress sabino wood vats filled ¾ full
• Dry fermentation time: 12 hours
• Wet fermentation time: five days
• Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
• Final composition: heads, hearts, and a select cut of high proof tails
• Batch size: 100L 

• ABV: 48°

• ENNHGO2202