10 questions for a MAESTRO MEZCALERO
To only call Miguel Angel Zamora Olivo a maestro mezcalero (which he is and of the rarest kind) an agricultural engineer, highly trained in agroforestry systems and a regenerative agricultural specialist is to leave out noting the remarkable spirit of a man so in love with the magic of plants and nature, it seems he operates on a higher plane than most mere mortals. His adoration springs to life in the form of his stunning syntropic garden surrounding the El Cabrón distillery, nestled in the foothills of Mitla, just southeast of Oaxaca City. He is an agave whisperer and an educator of sustainable mezcal production, who teaches permaculture techniques to other producers that not only help save the farmers’ fields but shows them more efficient and thus more profitable practices in their own mezcal making.
The mezcals he produces for El Cabrón are extraordinary. Complex and smooth, pure and sophisticated- they always surprise people with their superb quality. They are like no other mezcals, so it’s impossible to compare. These excellent drinks come from his unique practices involving painstaking care and a higher consciousness of the bigger picture that is rare in the growing commercial industrialization of mezcal. He considers mezcal a spiritual drink, to be respected, mindfully savored and received as a gift from the agave plant.
When you taste any of the three different agave mezcals from El Cabrón, you will most definitely experience maestro Miguel’s higher love of mezcal.
How did you become interested in Mezcal?
Miguel: It all started with an attraction to aromas. Since I was a student, I was interested in smelling things, especially plants. Smell is the keenest of all senses. My teachers once gave me a small wooden barrel and I always drove it around with me because I really liked opening my car to the smell of barrel wood.
I was also so struck by the fact that the maguey grew in the worst conditions and that the more adverse the conditions were, the better it grew. (“Maguey” is the common name used in Mexico for the succulent plant used to make mezcal.) It was a life lesson and a deep admiration for the plant. It seemed very striking to me that there was so much poverty in Oaxaca, but the agave plant had properties to grow in those adverse conditions and I was able to see how the agave changed the lives of many families here. (“Agave” is the scientific name for succulents used for mezcal)
I realized that the Universe always gives options!
At first, I did not drink any alcohol but then started to taste mezcal and that’s when the complexity that each variety of agave offers became fascinating to me and pulled me into the world of agave and mezcal.
I seek to share this way of relating to the drink, not in excess, but not in the possibility of enjoying and understanding it with all its complexity.
Another thing that led me to dedicate myself to becoming a maestro mezcalero was seeing the unconsciousness in the production of mezcal. Since the industry demands large volumes without caring about the sustainability part, it is a very important part of my purpose to share good practices with friends in the industry, to help them understand the benefits from these practices that are necessary to thrive and safely keep the soil we need to grow the magueys.
2. Where did you learn to become a maestro mezcalero?
Miguel: I learned for many years from several wise masters, who have been producing this drink for generations. They taught me their processes and by managing to link the best flavors with the best processes, I began to create my own process.
I do want to say that- the generational issue does not determine that you will produce quality. I have been to many palenques that are 5th generation and their mezcal is of very low quality. Only those people who really care about analyzing the ways of making mezcal and find the correct way to taste it, are the ones who care about making the effort to produce something better. They inspired me, but I have gone further, in more detail, with more science and logic and more with the heart.
3. What would you like people to know about your process and techniques in making mezcal?
Miguel: That they understand that we must develop it in favor of nature, observe and be aware that it gives us back everything we give it. I only harvest mature agaves. For El Cabrón agaves we use the varieties espadin, tepeztate and mexicano. Espadin is cultivated and takes 7-12 years to grow to maturity. Tepeztate and mexicano are wild agaves. They can take 15-25 years to reach full maturity. I look to harvest the mature plant that has developed more complex tastes and aromas. (By contrast, many, many high profile producers cut the agaves at 2-3 years). Then, there are about 100 other decisions to make in the process of good mezcal making. When to stop fermentation, how long to distill, doing the second distillation, possibly adding aromatics, etc. (Besides the timing, checking on the look and taste- Miguel actually listens to the fermentation tanks to know when it’s time to move the juice to distillation.)
I never use herbicides and I properly dispose of the vinasse- the highly acidic liquid runoff after fermentation. This liquid acidifies the ground and renders it useless to use again for growing. So many large producers poison the land then move on- cutting down more trees to plant more agaves that they spray with herbicides. These herbicides are absorbed by the agaves that end up in fermentation tanks and ultimately into the final product. The climate is changing as well. Even 20 years ago, the farmers said that Mother Nature was noble and that you could depend on her. Now, you can’t. Days it will rain too much and then a drought during the rainy season; much hotter for longer periods, etc. So all these environmental stressors have to be reckoned with.
So. I am not as interested in people knowing so much about how I make mezcal, but rather how I strive to protect the environment from bad mezcal processes. These bad processes are the real problem in the industry and I want to provide solutions that are for the good of everyone. It’s about eliminating bad practices that, you know logically, poorly affect not just the land, but the final drink. They are simply bad habits that need to change. Stop using pesticides for the agave, stop harvesting agaves too young, using chemicals to speed up fermentation and end careless disposal of highly acidic post-fermentation waste in fields and waterways. Learn to plant and utilize the principles of syntropic agriculture.
4. Can you tell us a little about syntropic agriculture and its benefits?
In summary, syntropic agriculture is living in harmony with nature, creating spirals of life as she shows us. So we do not have to invent anything, we just simply need to observe and continue to favor life in the way that it already exists. The spirals of life, all the time, spirals of life. It’s an approach to land management and design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing, natural ecosystems. For instance, agave plants thrive near banana trees. Banana trees thrive near lime trees. All is planted in what looks like a random (as opposed to neat rows) pattern but mindfully planted where plants in proximity to each other strengthen each other and keep pests away, naturally. The biodiversity creates strength in the whole agrosystem. There is no need for herbicides or pesticides. Actually, there really aren’t “pests’ to be concerned about as plants can easily defend themselves if they are strong and supported by other plants nearby. For instance, I am glad to have ants in the garden- their constant activity helps to mix organic material with mineral soil and enhances soil fertility. Many people spray to kill ants. This is a shame.
(Syntropic Farming is an innovative approach to regenerative agriculture which allows you to create dynamic, successional, and economically viable ecosystems that restore degraded soil biodiversity. - www.porvenirdesign.com)
5. What do you think about wild agaves and their sustainability?
Miguel: Excessive production must be controlled and a management plan created so that they can continue reproducing on their own. There needs to be a new, more conscious approach geared to the production of extreme quality and not excessive quantity. The management plan must be 100% focused on syntropy reproduction. The environment simply cannot handle the abuse and still be productive much longer. No one will win with the state of the production practices today. And it’s even worse for the tequila industry and it’s so much bigger than the mezcal industry
6. What would you like to say about sustainability in the mezcal business?
The word sustainability has been distorted so much that they already use it for any detail as If they are really doing it. I think most people are just looking to have a hologram or a medal or recognition, but almost no one is implementing it the right way. Sustainability is more for marketing than in practice but it doesn’t have to be this way. We can make a change through education and showing the rich and healthy results from the practice of permaculture and syntropic farming.
7. How do you feel about the current state of the mezcal business?
That the essence has been lost- the Humanity and the essence of its process has become commercialized and the soul is not present. Trying to satisfy a demand from people who don’t really have the knowledge to enjoy, value and appreciate a good mezcal. We do not seek to produce for those who do not appreciate the integral complexity of this drink. Nowadays, many producers no longer have a more transcendent purpose and all they want to do is to make money and not contribute anything to the world. The mezcal industry is becoming so commercial that they are forgetting about quality. But quality does not appear as if by magic. The quality comes from the agave seed, the land in which it is planted, how you take care of the land, the energy you put into it, how you harvest the plants- with respect for the maturity of the agaves, and the process of eliminating waste by-products properly.
Therefore, there should be an organization that will punish, in some way, those who are adulterating mezcal and who follow bad production practices because they discredit the industry, they hurt the land and offer inferior, chemically enhanced drink. The traceability and the accountability of the product must be carefully monitored to reduce our ecological footprint as much as possible.
Those of us who strive to produce something authentic and pure, must try to offer education and advice.
8. To help consumers understand: what are the differences between mezcal and tequila?
Miguel: The first, mezcal, is made from 100% agave, and the other, tequila, is a combination of different alcohols and the addition of different chemicals in absolutely all of their processes. A bottle of most tequilas contain nearly half added sugars and artificial additives. This allowed for tequila. Mezcal must follow its own path and the rules are strict that it cannot use additives but is allowed to use many different species of agaves to get more complex tastes. Mezcal must not follow in the footsteps of the tequila industry.
9. If you could invite 4 people from history to drink mezcal with you, who would they be and why?
Miguel: A very interesting question, but I always see myself sharing it with the people close to me, the people who have now decide to walk with me in the same direction, committed to the purpose of the company, integrating the environment, the physical body and the spirit.
10. How do you want people to describe your El Cabrón mezcal?
Miguel: Like the essence that I told you about earlier - there is this word used by all Mexicans- that when you go to an impressive place or taste an amazing thing which leaves you speechless, the only thing left to say is:
“ESTÀ CABRÓN!”
