NETA Tepextate, Cucharillo, Madrecuixe, Espadín, Bicuixe, and Tobalá was produced by Celedonio Aquino Gutíerrez as part of Agave Mixtape Vol. 8.
About this destilado
NETA Tepextate, Cucharillo, Madrecuixe, Espadín, Bicuixe, and Tobalá was produced by Celedonio Aquino Gutíerrez as part of Agave Mixtape Vol. 8. Per Agave Mixtape:
Tío Celedonio generally reserves his work with agave for the dry months of the year, making only a few hundred liters annually from a mix of homegrown and wild-harvested agave. His family recalls their traditions of distillation dating back to 1808, with an Aquino ancestor arriving to the Lachigüizo from Zoquitlán, with copper pots in stow. A couple generations later, they relocated just down the river to Logoche, founding one of the first clandestine palenques in the village, around the turn of the 20th century. While tools, technology, and legal status have changed, Celedonio and his wife, Telesfora, continue to uphold the agrarian and gastronomic traditions of the region and distill with great pride.
For those curious, there were nine piñas of Tepextate, eight Cucharillo, 15 Madrecuixe, 10 Espadín, 20 Bicuixe, and 7 piñas of Tobalá. In crafting this ensamble, Celedonio harvest enough agave and dasylirion plants from one plot of tierra café to fill two fermentation vats with around 700kg each, topping them off with 300L of well water. The end result is a definitively Miahuateco ensamble with a rich texture and heavy minerality; the natural sweetness of the mature and perfectly cooked agave and Cucharillo play well with the salinity of the soil and water of the region.
Agave Mixtape
Agave Mixtape brings the best agave spirits together in one place – your place. Agave Mixtape is a subscription based service. Subscribers receive boxes with three 200ml bottles from three different brands – Lalocura, Mal Bien, and Neta (and maybe a few surprises) – filled with batches picked especially for Agave Mixtape, and not available anywhere else in the USA. Each box includes production notes on the batches, along with links to photos, and virtual tastings with the people behind the brands and the mezcaleros. You can subscribe directly from their website.
NETA
NETA is a colloquial word in Mexico that translates to “the real deal” or “the truth”. Since 2012, the brand has worked closely with several small, family producers and a cooperative of twelve palenqueros from the southern valleys and hills of Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. The region has preserved its reputation for producing some of the finest mezcales and agave spirits anywhere in Mexico. The team behind NETA presents a carefully curated selection of extraordinary spirits that would otherwise never be found outside of its place of origin.
A note about NETA labels: The total bottle count written on the front label might be less than the total batch size. Batches may be split between Mexico, Europe, and the US; the handwritten bottle count represents the number of bottles imported into a particular country.
Learn more about NETA:
- NETA – Spirit Distilled from Agave on the K&L Wines Spirits Journal blog
- NETA is finally here on Mezcalistas
Review this bottle
Login or create an account to add your tasting notes
little agave
72 reviewsBatch: ENNCLA2104 47.6v
This one is reeeeaally speaking to me. From aroma to finish. Very tasty. Sweet fresh grassy rainwater is my description. This brings me to another dimension. One of my favorites.
Rakhal
430 reviewsSometimes a certain Mezcal will just bring me to a different place. Every time I taste this one I get an impression of cool water. Not that it’s watery at all, it isn’t, but there’s just something about it that makes me think of cool mineral rich water from a rocky spring high in the desert. Fresh herbs and flowers. Linens in the cool morning air hanging from a clothesline in a grassy field. Every time I taste this one I get these impressions. I really want to meet Celedonio some day, I have a feeling that all of his Mezcals are special.
Sometimes a certain Mezcal will just bring me to a different place. Every time I taste this one I get an impression of cool water. Not that it’s watery at all, it isn’t, but there’s just something about it that makes me think of cool mineral rich water from a rocky spring high in the desert. Fresh herbs and flowers. Linens in the cool morning air hanging from a clothesline in a grassy field. Every time I taste this one I get these impressions. I really want to meet Celedonio some day, I ha
cagliostro
32 reviewsagave mixtape batch
nose – pine needles, gasoline, maybe persimmon, raisins, milk chocolate
palate – soft, fresh herbs like oregano or rosemary or thyme, then sweet pears, sweet potato, weed/gasoline and black pepper in the middle. exits with pine, honey, same herbs, drying effect.
pretty solid i’d say 6/10. nothing mind blowing but all around pleasant and enough complexity to keep one’s attention. perhaps a touch hot on the finish, but a really pleasant round mouthfeel especially given the proof.
agave mixtape batch
nose – pine needles, gasoline, maybe persimmon, raisins, milk chocolate
palate – soft, fresh herbs like oregano or rosemary or thyme, then sweet pears, sweet potato, weed/gasoline and black pepper in the middle. exits with pine, honey, same herbs, drying effect.
pretty solid i’d say 6/10. nothing mind blowing but all around pleasant and enough complexity to keep one’s attention. perhaps a touch hot on the finish, but a really pleasant round mouthfeel e
Tyler
668 reviewsFun ensamble from the Logoche group. It’s kind of piney at first. Herbaceous and green. Reminds me of the old school dark green speamint Tic Tacs. I think the “sotol” has some influence here but karwinskii seems prominent. An interesting thing happened with this mezcal.. I mistakenly left about a half ounce in a glass one night and the next day it tasted great. Often mezcals will “burn out” and taste like watery vinegar if left out in a glass overnight. From Agave Mixtape volume 8.
Fun ensamble from the Logoche group. It’s kind of piney at first. Herbaceous and green. Reminds me of the old school dark green speamint Tic Tacs. I think the “sotol” has some influence here but karwinskii seems prominent. An interesting thing happened with this mezcal.. I mistakenly left about a half ounce in a glass one night and the next day it tasted great. Often mezcals will “burn out” and taste like watery vinegar if left out in a glass overnight. From Agave M
COak
238 reviewsEnjoyable Miahuatlan ensamble. Lots of agave in here, hard to pick them each out, definitely seems Karwinski forward. Nose has fresh rain water and fresh greens. On the palate, I get cherry and minerals. It’s delicate and has a nice long clean finish.
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsSolid. Almost reminds me of the stuff Edgar is doing over at Real Minero. Flavored sparkling water, apple juice, hemp. Complex and keeps you guessing. I like it
RyeAmLegend
37 reviewsDelicate scents waft around in my glass. There’s some grapefruit or lemon oil, along with a big herbal, earthy quality. Wood, sawdust, and leather. Some very light fruit – pear, apple, melon. Vegetal elements like season cooked stew – Carrots, potatoes and parsnips seasoned with Thyme and rosemary. It’s the Irish whiskey of mezcal – just extremely light, delicate agave.
I nice sweetness to this. A mix between honey and stevia. Not quite fake sugar flavors. A smoke element is definitely present. Earthy root veg, mushrooms, and a savory onion soup.
Light earthy notes on the finish. Some wood smoke and it makes me perceive it as dry. It’s unfortunately rather short on flavor. You are left with just a lingering dirt and wood.
Honestly it’s not awful but it’s certainly lacking flavor. It needs more focus as to what those flavors need to be in the glass and then turn it up all the way.
Delicate scents waft around in my glass. There’s some grapefruit or lemon oil, along with a big herbal, earthy quality. Wood, sawdust, and leather. Some very light fruit – pear, apple, melon. Vegetal elements like season cooked stew – Carrots, potatoes and parsnips seasoned with Thyme and rosemary. It’s the Irish whiskey of mezcal – just extremely light, delicate agave.
I nice sweetness to this. A mix between honey and stevia. Not quite fake sugar flavors. A smoke element is definitely
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – A bit more Karwinski notes for me here – floral, rain-soaked dirt. Some maraschino cherry.
Palate – Some of the Tepeztate comes through in terms of a green peppery spiciness in the background. I pick up a tickle of the sotol (cucharillio) and it really blends in well. White pepper heat. What I love about this is the exceptionally long-lasting, smooth, cigar flavor in the finish and aftertaste.