Exploring Espadín Artisanal Niños Viejos

This UNIQUE batch from Mario Acevedo, named after the LOST BOYS from PETER PAN, represents the convergence of his traditional methods, the love for the plants, and the passion for detail that he has—resulting in a spirit with profound character and complexity. The flavor, however, was a bit of a coincidence, as you will find out…

Several years ago, while harvesting a batch of Espadín that someone had planted on land outside of Velató, his hometown, he noticed that some magueyes had grown considerably smaller than the others in the plot. These were located on the edge, where the soil hadn’t been tilled, causing the roots to grow tightly and limiting the plants’ growth. Normally, these plants would not be harvested because it would cost more labor and wouldn’t yield much mezcal.

Despite this, he decided to harvest and distill them, as he believes that everything contributes. Their weight ranged between 10 and 20 kg, when normally these magueyes grow to over 100 kg per plant. To avoid ruining the entire batch, he decided to process them in a separate vat to assess the fermentation and yield. To his surprise, the yield was similar to that of the larger magueyes, though their aroma was very sweet and the flavor electrifying, as he describes it.

Since then, he has been on the lookout for neglected and forgotten magueyes with which he produces micro-batches that he sells to friends or consumes with his family.

This batch was produced in 2023. It began on September 22 with the jima of 54 plants—or approx. 2,400 kg—from a parcel that had been planted 15–17 years earlier in the Coatecas Altas region, in the Ejutla district, at an altitude of approximately 1,600 meters.

Once harvested, the piñas underwent a traditional six-day roasting period in a conical earthen oven, known as a horno. This particular roast utilized Guamúchil and Mesquite wood, which impart distinctive smoky notes to the final product.

After roasting, the cooked agave hearts were stone-crushed using a bull-drawn tahona—a large stone wheel that slowly crushes the fibers to extract the sweet juices. This traditional method, in contrast to more industrial mechanical processes, preserves subtle flavors and represents the artisanal approach that defines craft mezcal.

The extracted juices then underwent a completely natural fermentation process lasting seven days. This fermentation took place in 1,200-liter Sabino wood vats using well water from the region. No commercial yeasts or accelerants were added, allowing the indigenous yeasts present in the air and on the agave to naturally convert sugars into alcohol, contributing to the mezcal’s authentic character.

On October 14, 2023, the fermented liquid was twice distilled in a 350-liter copper alembic still. This distillation method, which carefully separates the hearts (the purest middle portion of the distillate) from the heads and tails, resulted in a total production of 180 liters of this exceptional spirit—of which Puntiagudo was only able to acquire 75 liters. The rest was gone… sold or drunk locally among friends and relatives.

We aged it over one year in glass before bottling it on March 15, 2025, yielding 95 bottles of 0.75 liters each at 46.9% ABV. ALL SOLD to our friends from MIRATE in L.A.