Cameron Holck, co-owner of Lot001 Brands, an exciting spirits importer, recently visited our Athens cocktail lounge and made us aware of some lesser-known Mexican spirits.
Holck and his business partner, Arik Torren, are bringing rarely imported artisan distillates from Mexico to the U.S. All are interesting, complex and could be used in your favorite cocktail recipes.
Torren and Holck represent five brands under the Lot001 moniker. Two of them — Whiskey Main Nation whiskies, made in Oaxaca using heirloom corn; and Rancho Tepua, which are expressions of agave and sotol from Sonora — are not available in Georgia, but hopefully they will be in the future.
The other three — Mi Casa, Pelacanas and Parejo — are available here.
The Rodriguez family started planting agave on its estate in Michoacan and making tequila under the name Mi Casa in the early 2000s, but their distilling effort stalled after a couple of years. Now, Mi Casa has been relaunched and has some distinctive tequilas to sell.
We tried two of them, made with nothing but agave, yeast and water.
The blanco rested in stainless steel vats for 10 years, followed by another two years in glass. As a result of all that aging, the creamy texture is extraordinary, and the taste reminds us of Juicy Fruit gum and poblano pepper.
The extra anejo was aged nine years in used Tennessee whiskey barrels. We tasted hints of ancho pepper, tropical fruit and milk chocolate.
Pelacanas founder Mónica Baeza and her two daughters, Gaby and Moní, embarked on their rum journey in Jalisco, where their family history and the cultivation of sugarcane go back hundreds of years.
Some of you might know of rhum agricole from Martinique, in which fresh pressed cane juice — instead of molasses — is used to make rum. Ron agricola is made in the same fashion: Hand-harvested sugarcane from the Baeza estate is juiced, fermented in wood and distilled, creating a distinctive spirit.
The blanco has a grassy, sweet flavor, with a hint of green olive and a delightful bitterness that makes a wonderful daiquiri. Llamarada is similar but, at still strength, is 55% alcohol by volume. It is bold, with a hint of buttermilk on the nose and a palate reminiscent of apple and papaya.
Parejo founder Jorge Caldera works closely with his master distillers, using sotol, which is similar to agave. The expression we tried, Maestro Bienvenido Fernández, is made from 100% wild dasylirion wheeleri, a sotol plant. This spirit has just a hint of smoke on the nose from the roasting process. It tasted like lime and mangos, with a hint of grassiness, and finished with a lovely lanolin texture.
Where to purchase
Parejo sotol, Pelicanas blanco and still-strength rum are available at Elemental Spirits Co. (elementalspirits.co). Parejo sotol sells for $95; Pelicanas blanco is $33, and the still-strength rum is $48.
Mi Casa tequilas are available at Decatur Package Store (decaturpackagestore.com), Smyrna World of Beverages (smyrnaworldofbeverages.com) and Corks & Caps (corkscaps.com). Prices range from $45.99 to $199.
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