Mexican whisky

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Mexican whisky is a style of whisky distilled from corn developed and produced in Mexico. While Mexico does not have a long history of producing whisky, there has been a recent push to establish Mexico as a preeminent whisky country with a small group fostering the industry in the country. [1]

Contents

History

Whisky production in Mexico is almost non-existent with the first real Mexican whisky being produced in 2013. [2] This is mainly due to the popularity of other distilled drinks such as tequila and mezcal in the country with the majority of whisky consumed in Mexico being imports from other countries.

Today, most of the Mexican whisky produced originates from Oaxaca in Sierra Norte where heirloom corn is used due to its distinct taste from regular GMO corn. [3]

In 2019 Destileria y Bodega Abasolo, the first distillery dedicated entirely to the production of Mexican whisky, was completed in Jilotepec de Abasolo. Jilotepec is known as "the birthplace" of corn and Abasolo whisky is the first whisky made from 100% heirloom Mexican corn (Cacahuazintle) that has undergone nixtamalization, a 4,000 year old Mesoamerican process. [4]

Despite the fact that the Mexican industry is relatively young, Mexican whisky has seen a rapid growth in popularity thanks in part to millennials who actively seek out new and different products and have helped to push the awareness of the country's whisky. [5] The popularity of heirloom corn in the production has also helped it to become more in demand despite the rise of cheaper, mass-produced corn. [6]

See also

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Straight whiskey, as defined in United States law, is whiskey that is distilled from a fermented cereal grain mash to a concentration not exceeding 80% alcohol by volume (abv) and aged in new charred oak barrels for at least two years at a concentration not exceeding 62.5% at the start of the aging process. Domestic sales of straight whiskey surpassed 27 million 9-liter cases in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single pot still whiskey</span> Style of Irish whiskey

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cacahuazintle</span> An old heirloom variety of white dent maize (corn) from Toluca, Mexico

"Cacahuazintle" or "cacahuacintle" is the name of an old heirloom variety of white dent maize (corn) originating in Toluca, Mexico. It has a large ear with grains that are more white, round, and tender than the typical field corn grain. The dried grains are soaked and/or cooked in water with lime or wood ash, then rinsed thoroughly to remove the outer seed coat as well as any traces of the alkali salts —this is an ancient process called nixtamalization. This creates a fresh, wet hominy, which can be dried for later use or ground into a flour called masa. Masa can be used to make tortillas, tamales, atole, pozole, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of whisky</span> Outline of the knowledge of whisky

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:

References

  1. "Mexican Whisky Association – Protecting Mexican Whisky Trade". mexicanwhiskyassociation.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  2. "First Mexican whisky unveiled". thespiritsbusiness.com. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  3. "Everything You Need to Know About Sierra Norte and Mexican Whiskey". Thrillist. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  4. Fabricant, Florence (2020-05-11). "Now From Mexico: Corn Whiskey". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  5. "Chicago Tribune". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  6. "Mexican Whiskey". liquor.com. Retrieved 2019-12-25.