Fidencio Sin Humo Mezcal
Over a century ago, Fidencio Jimenez moved his family to Oaxaca, Mexico known as El Capital Mundial Del Mezcal and began distilling mezcal. Before his death, Fidencio passed the trade on to his son, Enrique, who, in turn, passed the trade onto his son, Isaac. Today, Enrique Jimenez Jr., a fourth-generation mezcalaro, oversees the entire Jimenez estate, located in Santiago Matatln (a small pueblo in Oaxaca).
On the estate, espadin agave plants that are at least a decade old and have reached the peak of maturity are harvested by the hands of expert
jimadors. In tribute to their Zapotec heritage, the jimadors harvest agave only under a new moon, believing that the lunar phases have a profound influence on the flavor of the agave. After harvesting, the jimadors remove the long, sharp leaves of the agave using a machete, leaving only the heart of the agave, or pias, behind. At the
palenque (or distillery), the pias are split by hand with an axe into four to eight pieces.
Fidencio Sin Humo mezcal is crafted by roasting the split pias in a radiant heat oven for three days. This process, says Enrique, allows him to "produce a mezcal that is a pure expression of espadn, without the influence of smoke that is typically found in other mezcals." Once the pias have been roasted, they are crushed under a
tahona (or stone wheel) made from rose quartz and the resulting pulp is then fermented using wild yeast for six to twelve days, depending on the weather.
Fidencio Sin Humo is also distilled twice through a traditional, wood-fired, alembic still. The alembic still used to distill Sin Humo is equipped with purifiers, however, which recirculates the mezcal and softens its intensity. As a result, it has more elegant notes of vanilla, caramelized pineapples, honey and spice, that lead to a smooth, citrusy finish. Fidencio Sin Humo also earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
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