Maíz Nation and Abasolo are utilizing ancestral corn for a flavorful new take on the whiskey category.
There ’s a pop Mayan origination myth about the inextricable link between the ancient Mesoamerican culture and a sacred plant . “ When the gods were make humans , they first built them out of mud , but they fall apart . Then , they built them out of Sir Henry Wood , but they had no marrow , no soul , ” explains Cesar Sandoval , mark ambassador forAbasolo Corn Whisky . “ And then , when they build them out of masa , they were just perfect — that ’s why we call ourselves children of the corn whisky . ” It tail , then , that thoughtfully craftedcorn whiskeyis coming out of Mexico in good order now .
Abasolo andMaíz Nationare highlighting Mexico ’s most famous harvest in hopes corn whiskey ( orwhisky , as Abasolo prefers to spell it ) will rise aboard globally prize spirit likemezcalandtequila .
For Maíz Nation sea captain distiller Jonathan Barbieri , who came to corn whiskey from the world of mezcal , it was crucial to produce an economical niche for the Fannie Farmer who ’ve been cultivate the colorful Indian corn that was first create by their ancestors over 300 generations ago . maize is a day-by-day basic across Mexico . It appears in innumerous swallow and dishes — atole , tortillas , pozole , Tamale , sopes , just to name a fraction . But the commercial product of specific edible corn varieties , likeyellow dent , is often produce for the use of develop grain alcohol or cooking oils , threatening heirloom strains and making it hard for Mexican Fannie Farmer to make a living .
Planting native corn in Oaxaca.|Maiz Nation Whiskey
Seeking to boost domesticated output , President Andrés Manuel López Obradorissued a 2020 banon genetically modify corn whisky yield that ’s set up to go into force in 2024 .
Though thestate of Oaxacais home toGuila Naquitz , the whitened caves where the earliest traces of corn cultivation were discovered , many of these modernistic agriculturist still struggle to sustain food sovereignty in the face of genetically modified source proliferation . For the last 12 years , Guila Naquitz has been the site of an on-going , regional seeded player exchange — part of an effort to further the stock of ancestral corn variety .
“ The seeds are intimately tie in to the communities that have been nurture them and shepherding them through fourth dimension , ” says Barbieri . “ We ’re blab out about community , preserving culture , and preserve ways of living . ”
Photo courtesy of Abasolo
Today , Maíz Nation sources its aboriginal corn and other grain like wheat and Secale cereale instantly from small - holding Indigenous farmers in the Chinantla , Sierra Mixteca , Sierra Juárez , and Costa regions of Oaxaca , placing an accent on traditional cultivation method acting , soil conservation , seed autonomy , and residential district seed banks .
All this attention to detail translates to a sapid and unequaled production that , specially for those who mature up with corn and tortilla as household mainstays , try out conversant . As Barbieri insist , “ When it issue forth out on the second distillment , it tastes like maize . I ’ve had citizenry say , ‘ Wow , it tastes like my grandmother ’s . ’ ”
Meanwhile , Abasolo source its corn from the Carmona kin in Nevado de Toluca , a stratovolcano turn up about an 60 minutes Cicily Isabel Fairfield of Mexico City . The still is in the high - meridian metropolis of Jilotepec de Molina Enríquez , where corn is so revere that Jilotepec literally read to “ Hill of the Corn Flowers ” in the Nahuátl language . Originally scream Jilotepec de Abasolo after Mariano Abasolo , a Mexican full general who fought for the commonwealth ’s independency , the metropolis changed its name to honor a different political figure in 1986 .
Maiz Nation Whiskey
Abasolo utilizes heirloom cacahuazintle , a flowery corn with a lowly oil colour content that ’s ordinarily used in pozole recipe . The tender white corn is also a prized sort for nixtamalization — a 4,000 - year - old Mesoamerican preparation method that involves soaking the cereal in an alkaline result ( usually lime or wood ash ) to enhance its flavors and nutritionary value . This mental process create fresh hominy , which can then be dried or ground into a masa flour .
Abasolo overlord distiller Iván Saldaña wanted to see the utmost expression of Mexican identity in every sip . To achieve this , as Sandoval explains , they turned tonixtamalization , the traditional process in which corn is prepared for tortillas , masa , and tamales . “ This is who we are … Once we nixtamalized it and compared the nixtamalized corn to the regular cacahuazintle corn , it was just a worldly concern of difference . We could savor flavour and aromatics that we had n’t before . ”
After nixtamalizing for 12 to 15 minute , Abasolo then roast its corn as you would coffee to free even more aromatics . The result is a clean - corporal product with notes of love and sweet pepper and hints of chamomile or inglorious teatime . “ Some people say it remind them a bit of tequila , and that ’s because you ’re savour the same Mexican terroir — but it is whisky , ” say Sandoval
Abasolo Whisky
Despite these differences in taste , Abasolo is age in American oak and unexampled toasted oak barrel , while Maíz Nation uses Modern American oak barrel , which puts both brands firmly in the whiskey family .
“ It add itself nicely to the mezcal outlook of sipping it neat after a recollective day , ” says Sandoval . “ particularly pair with Mexican cuisine , it just works . We ’ve find out chef wangle with it and even reduce it down into mole sauce . ”
For a mere drink , Sandoval recommend a Mexican Highball , which pairs Abasolo Whisky with a mineral piddle like Agua de Tierra orTopo Chicoand a squeeze of birdlime . He ’s also get a merriment take on the classic Gold Rush cocktail that he ’s dub the Corn Rush — boast Abasolo , honey sirup , and lemon succus . Abasolo ’s parent company , Casa Lumbre , also offer a tender edible corn liqueur calledNixta , which Sandoval likes to mix with Abasolo , Mr. Black java liqueur , and a duet bolt of orangish bitters for a concoction he calls a Cold Fashioned .
“ This is a new family , so we basically have to compose our own rules — because we ’re not trying to make an Irish whisky or a Bourbon dynasty or a Tennessee whisky , ” says Barbieri . “ We ’ve got different Indian corn and we ’ve get different conditions . It ’s not like we desire to be undivided or rid of potential competition or anything like that . It ’s just that if you ’re going to make it , make trusted it ’s good . ”
