Sustainable brand Mijenta Tequila has announced a new series, Maestra Selection, with the release of its first expression being a small-batch tequila using agave grown on a single estate. The idea of the series is for Maestra Tequilera Ana Maria Romero to explore differing flavors and styles of tequila in small-batch releases, creating new expressions using purely the traditional ingredients of agave, yeast, and water.
The new release, Maestra Selection No. 1, uses agaves from an estate in Presa de Otomites in Jesus Maria, in the Jalisco region. The agaves were hand selected and harvested at around eight years old, and have high natural sugar content for rich flavors.
An unusual feature of this release is that all of the agaves used in it are agaves de semilla, or those grown from seed. Whilst most tequila uses agaves which are clones, as this is the typical production processes for large scale agave farming, the use of successive generations of clones can create weaknesses in the plants as they lack genetic diversity. By using plants grown from seed, the new generation agaves offer more complex and deeper flavors.
“This project has been incredibly exciting because, attempting something that had never been done before, I did not know what the result would be,” said Romero. “However, the sugar content of the agaves was so high, I knew as soon as we harvested them that we were going to have a very special tequila. The flavors and aromas leap out of the glass, and I believe the higher ABV showcases the full richness of the expression. Through the Maestra Selection series, I am excited to continue to explore a type of innovation in tequila that remains true to the terroir and the heritage of this amazing spirit.”
The limited release of Maestra Selection No. 1 is available now for $100 per 750 ml bottle with an abv of 50%.
