Cinco Sentidos Arroqueno

Mezcal | 48.2% ABV

Commercial Description:

At a lunch event in Santa Catarina Minas in 2015, a mezcalero friend mentioned the name of a producer to us, and made the simple but profound endorsement that the producer’s Arroqueño was “muy chingón,”  -  a lofty compliment, given that this friend is known to have exceedingly high standards.  A few minute later, the very same producer ambled over to our table, introduced himself as Pedro Pascual and invited us to a full jicara of an Arroqueño that was as warm and inviting as the energy of the man who shared it with us.  Entranced by the eloquence of the spirit Tío Pedro had poured for us, we were ecstatic when he invited us to visit him at his home to try more mezcal. At the time, we didn't know that the seeds of what would become a strong friendship were being sowed.

Since that day, a lot has happened in the world of agave and mezcal. Already scarce in 2015, Arroqueño has all but disappeared in many Central Valley communities since. Given that Arroqueño can take more than two decades to reach maturity, many farmers have opted to plant Espadín instead. 
Prior to the Arroqueño shortage, Arroqueño was always one of the most prized specialties of Tio Pedro, but a lack of regionally available ripe plant has led him to produce less than 250 liters of spirit from the plant between 2015 and 2020. 

That all changed in 2021, when Pedro’s nephew, Lalo, met a magueyero from a small village some six hours away from Santa Catarina Minas.  It turns out that the magueyero has continued to cultivate Arroqueño (along with Mexicano and Espadín), piquing Lalo and Pedro’s curiosity. They trucked in just over three tons to give it a test in in 2021. Happy with the results, they continued to purchase and produce  Arroqueño throughout the year, meaning that we will be able to share with you the same spirit that captivated us nearly seven years ago.