Tepanal Tobala is produced by mezcalero Rafael “Rafa” García Aragon in Santa María Sola de Vega, Oaxaca.
About this destilado de agave
Tepanal Tobala is produced by mezcalero Rafael “Rafa” García Aragon in Santa María Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. The agaves are roasted in a pit oven, fermented for 5-7 days in cypress tanks with open air yeasts, milled by mechanical shredder, and double distilled in small clay pots.
Tepanal Agave Spirits
The name Tepanal comes from the Nahuatl word “Tepanaltepec,” which means “hill of honeycombs,” which was the name for Santa Maria Sola from the time of the Spanish conquest until 1915. Tepanal pays homage to the community and its history, where honey extraction was an important activity that the residents of Tepanaltepec implemented.
Rafael “Rafa” Garcia Aragon is a first generation mezcalero. Rafa emigrated to California but returned to Santa Maria Sola in 2008 and established his distillery, Palenque Escondido, in 2014. Rafa’s son, Jair Garcia, also became involved in the mezcal-making process, and, in 2019, at the age of 21, Jair immigrated to California to raise funds to start their mezcal brand. Along with Antonio Avendaño, they established Tepanal in May 2020.
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razorbackmike
161 reviewssolid tobala!may be rating this too soon.fresh bottle and may evolve into something greater with time.clay is front and center.reminds me of the great tio rey-vago expressions but more subtle.sweet clay nose and reserved.earthy soil and slight veggie sweetness on the palate.powdered sugar on the finish.very mild and soft heat to be 50% abv.this could easily be an assassin! goes down way to easy and very tasty!