Cumbrita De La Sierra, 100% Agave Spirit, Agave Lechuguilla, Ancestral (48%, 20cl)

Cumbrita de la Sierra is a 100% single producer owned brand from Batopilas, Chihuahua, Mexico. The Maestra, Dolores González is at least the third generation of producer in her family, and one of a handful who are still producing Lechuguilla in the region; Her vinata is located a few hours from the town of Batopilas in a rancho called Yierbaniz. Batopilas means “encased river” in the Tarahumara language, and is located at the bottom of the famous Copper Canyon, in the Sierra Tarahumara. The area was once a very important mining town (it was the second place in Mexico, after Mexico City to get electricity) and it is likely that Lechuguilla production is a vestige of the mining past, as is so common with other agave distillates throughout Mexico. In this region the word “Lechuguilla” refers both to the plant, and the drink distilled from it. The agave used is Agave Shrevei, although there does appear to be a lot of morphological variation and we may eventually find out that there are a couple different species being used. Dolores will on occasion add a couple piñas of sotol (a species of Dasylirion) or Chawi (Agave multifilifera) to the fermentations as well, but this is quite uncommon. The Agave grows about 1000 meters above Batopilas, on the summits of the cliffs of the Copper Canyon (hence the name - Cumbrita de la Sierra - Summit of the Mountain). The producers will travel up and out of the canyon with horses and donkeys, staying in the mountains for days on end while they cut and haul the Lechuguilla back to the Vinata.