Xiaman is a blend of two agaves, 50% Tepextate agave and 50% Espadín agave. This blend achieves a perfect balance, between the complex flavours the Tepextate provides, and the rich aromas from mature Espadin.
Tepextate is a wild agave that requires 25 to 30 years to properly mature,
while the Espadín agave is harvest-ready in 3 to 8 years.
Our palanquero harvesters, according to tradition, only cut the agave during a full moon. The experience of 5 generations has taught them this is the moment when the plants is at the peak of sweetness.
Our Zapoteca mezcal producers in the town of Santo Tomás de Arriba are keepers of this wonderful tradition. Up on the hills, after the leaves of the agaves are cut away by jimadores, the cores, known as “pineapples”, are carried down on mule or horse-back. A palanquero carefully selects the best pineapples, and cuts them into smaller pieces.
Both types of agave cores are baked together in a mix called “heated assembly”. This is a very important step, since the distillation process of an ensemble is much more complicated than distilling a single type of agave. However, this is the key to obtain a more complex mezcal. After they are cooked during 6 full days in volcanic rock ovens, the cores are crushed in an old-style mill driven by a mule. The fragments are later placed in wooden vats with pure spring water where they will ferment for 15 days.
The juice is distilled in copper stills, and only the heart of the distillation is used, as this is where the best aromas and flavours concentrate. The first litres yielded are poured on the sacred earth in an essential ritual that pays homage to Mother Nature.
Our Bottle
Designed by master artist Maurilio Rentería, each hand-painted, labelled, and finely frosted blown-glass bottle, crowned with a stopper covered in chaquira beads in the shape of a jaguar head, is a true work of art made by a group of Wixárica native artisans.
Xiaman is a completely artisanal masterpiece, with more than 13 hours of labour in every handcrafted bottle. Each one of the 500 bottles in every lot is carefully numbered and signed by our master mezcalier.
This makes every bottle a fine piece worthy of collectors, the result of the effort and talent of proud Mexican hands.
