Maybe that 12-year-old agave is only five years old…
I was having a conversation with Grace Gonzalez of Tequila El Mayor and she said something that brought into focus a thought that’s been bumping around in my head: We talk a lot about the ages of the agaves that are used to make Mezcal and Tequila. But there’s really no mechanism to verify that. And, in fact, since different agaves reach maturity at different points – even when they are the same species growing in the same territory – a statement like “we only harvest eight-year-old agave” simply can’t be accurate. So how should we be talking about the age of agave? It’s an episode for the ages on Agave Road Trip!
Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with supporting insights from Grace Gonzalez of Tequila El Mayor.
Looking for Ancestral Agave Syrup? Click here for the sweet life!
Episode Notes
Thanks to Grace Gonzalez, fourth generation master distiller for Tequila El Mayor, for the quote that inspired this episode!
To the point of this episode…
Here’s a field of Blue Weber agave from our friends at Finca 18 in Jalisco. There are five-year-old Blue Webers. Some are already shooting quiotes, some are not. Same plant, same field, same care, all planted same time. Some mature, some not.