Origen Raiz Prizefighter Bottle Shop Prizefighter Private Batch Cenizo Silvestre Madurado en Dama Juana

47% ABV We are delighted to feature our latest private batch of Mezcal, this time from our dear friends at Origen Raiz. We had the great fortune of visiting them at their Vinata on their 8000 acre cattle ranch in the Zona del Silencio of Durango, Mexico back in December of 2025. All of their agaves are wild grown and only 10% of the mature plants are harvested each year, leaving the remainder to go to seed. This benefits the plant genetics and is vital for natural pollinators like birds and bats. Wild agave Cenizo are "Capado by Cows, Deer & Cowboys" or essentially castrated at the flowering stage and left in the ground for up to 1 year. The sugars are concentrated in the Piña or heart of the agave over that time and secondary flavors emerge once it's fermented and distilled. The agave are pit roasted, ground with a stone tahona, fermented in wooden vats, and double distilled in copper pots. The regular expression of their Cenizo is one of our favorite bottles. This is a very special 18 bottle batch that was "aged" in a Dama Juana (blown glass demijohn) from February of 2022 until it was bottled in February of 2026. While the glass doesn't impart flavor or color (like an oak barrel would, for example), it does allow the spirit to soften and its flavors become more harmonious. On the nose, we get an unexpected aroma of ume plum and raisiny fruit. The well integrated, ashy smoke appears on the next nosing. On the palate it is soft and plush with some overripe fruit muskiness, faint smoke, some herbal notes, and a long and satisfying finish. Only 18 bottles in this tiny batch. About Origen Raiz: Origen Raiz is a collaboration between the Saravia family from Durango and Asis and Valentin Cortes from Palenque Guardianes del Mezcal in Oaxaca. Asis and his father Valentin helped the Saravia family build a Viñata (the local term for a palenque or distillery) and shared their expertise in distillation and mezcal production with them. Don Valentin continues to assist them with distillation to this day. The Cortes family has a long history in the Mezcal space in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca and have their own brand, Mezcal Dixeebe, in addition to having previously produced for El Jolgorio and Nuestra Soledad. They are passionate defenders of traditional Mezcal culture and production methods and their palenque is an oasis of quality and integrity amongst the sea of more industrial production which surrounds them in Matatlan. "Don Vale" is one of our favorite Maestros and we have loved nearly every spirit of his that we've been fortunate enough to taste. The Saravia family are cattle ranchers who focus on sustainable agriculture and regenerative land management on their ranches in Durango, Mexico. They decided to start this project when Bildo Saravia fell deeply in love with agave spirits and befriended the Cortes family. They see this project as both a way to make amazing Mezcal and also to protect and revitalize the land. They harvest only 10% of the mature wild agaves on their property each year, leaving the remaining 90% to go to seed. This supports local pollinators like bats and birds and is vital for maintaining the genetic diversity and strength of the agaves.