#36 Esteban Morales - Agave Spirits History, Mezcal, Raicilla, Challenges, Community, Tequila

Esteban is the founder of Casa Endemica which is a stable of brands that includes La Venenosa Raicilla, Derumbes Mezcal, La Higuera Sotol. He has been a major force in championing mezcal outside of he state of Oaxaca (where 91% of mezcal is made) and really led the charge on exposing the amazing spirits of ancestral raicilla (the mezcal of the state of Jalisco).

I met Esteban about a year ago when I was writing my agave spirits book, and was instantly blown away by his knowledge of the vast landscape of agave spirits producers but also his deep rooted respect and admiration he has for the culture and methodologies of the communities that make these spirits.

This conversation is really a revisit to that same conversation we had in Guadalajara. You can expect to learn how it Filipinos instigated the production of mezcal in Mexico during the 17the century, how archaeological finds near the Colima volcano might hint at a more ancient form of distillation in Mexico that would upend the history books if it were true, the regionality of mezcal and how people and plants play into that, how the mezcal and proposed raicilla DO - designation of origin - falls short and what needs to be done about it, and at the end we talk about Esteban’s latest project - his first distillery… making tequila.

Big thanks to Davide Segat from The Nomad Hotel for letting us record there and Gaby Moncada for helping with scheduling!

Episode Sponsored by Fever-Tree

Buy my agave spirits book here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Bartenders-Agave-Safari-appreciating/dp/1788796799

Casa Endemica - https://www.casaendemica.com/en/home-eng/

00:00 Introduction

02:27 Fillipino Distillation Technocoly Arrvies in Mexico

07:21 Captcha Clay Pot Distillation Theory

16:02 Capacha Still Design, Wixárika Stills

26:47 The Mezcal Industry Today - Derrumbes Brand

30:37 Raicilla, 400 Cornejos and Mayahuel

39:52 Regionality in Mezcal

43:02 Sourcing Great Mezcal - Humans Culture, Quality, Economics

45:12 Mezcal: Congeners, Industry, Politics, Scale, Value & Opportunity

1:09:33 The Mezcal DO - Growing the DO, Infrastructure, Regulating Bodies, Potential Solutions

1:17:30 Raicilla - DO, Draft NOM, Fermentation Vessels

1:33:13 Bagaso Tequila Distillery - Carbon Neutral Tequila, Sustainability in Agave Spirits