Organic Agave Just For You

Ixá is an organic tequila distilled in the valley of El Arenal, Jalisco. The agaves are cooked in clay ovens before fermentation and distillation which include both the fibers and liquid in both steps of production, an unusual thing to do when making tequila. As with all products in the Greenbar Collective, for each bottle sold a tree is planted.

Taking between 12-15 years to mature and producing only a small fraction of the sugar of its more common cousin espadín, tobalá agaves produce rich, deep and concentrated flavors not found in any other species of agave. Wild-foraged and fairly rare, it behooves you to at try mezcals of this species.

This entry-level espadín mezcal from Wahaka is made from agave that’s sustainably grown on a palenque that mezcalero Alberto “Beto” Morales describes as “a place of respect and harmony, where no arguments or even bad words may be uttered.” Certified organic by the USDA and Mayacert, Morales’ distillation process includes the use of a traditional tahona and double distillation in a copper alembic.

Tequila ArteNOM Selección de 1549 Orgánico Blanco was produced using USDA certified organic agaves sourced from the Tequila Valley in Jalisco. After the agaves are halved and quartered, they are steam-roasted in a brick kiln oven for 24 hours. After fermentation, the juice is distilled to 54% ABV and reduced to 80 proof with demineralized water. This was produced at NOM 1549, Destilería Refugio by Master Mezcalero Ramón Sandoval--all of this information proudly stated on the front of the bottle.

El Luchador, from tequilero David Ravandi, is a bold, 110-proof spirit named for the famed masked wrestlers of Mexico. This powerhouse of a tequila was born at 4,200 feet in what you could say are the highest of the lowlands in Jalisco, with agave grown using certified organic practices and harvested at 12 years. It is bottled unaged, fresh off the still. Note: As of 2022, this product has been discontinued and replaced with El Luchador Distill-Proof Blanco Tequila.

Casa Noble produces USDA certified organic tequila that’s made with 10-14 year-old agave plants from their own fields in the hills near the city of Tequila. Casa Noble exclusively uses lightly charred white French Limousin oak. The triple-distilled reposado is aged for 364 days, the maximum possible time span. As this is a single barrel expression, expect slight variations to exist on the flavor profile.

Florencio Carlos Sarmiento and his sons handcraft this mezcal in the village of Santa Catarina Minas. And when we say handcraft, we mean it. After the agave roasts in the ground, they are removed and crushed by hand using a large wooden mallets. After natural, wild fermentation, it is distilled in a clay pot still. This 100% espadín agave is bottled, unaged at 98 proof.

1 2 3 or as it is meant to be pronounced “Uno, Dos, Tres” is a certified organic tequila brand. The agaves used were sourced from the Tequila Valley and the piñas were cooked for close to two days in stone ovens. The reposado, or “Dos” is aged in white oak for 6 months.

Driving through the villages, in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico you'll come across several "palenques" or distilleries each telling a tale. The stories coming out of their stills are of a particular place: the soil, the elevation, the growing seasons, the species of agave as well as the skill and sensibilities of the mezcalero (distiller). The Del Maguey “Chichicapa" comes from the valley floor of the village of Chichicapa, made entirely from agave espadín and hand-crafted by Faustino Garcia Vasquez.

The extra añejo is aged over five years in used merlot and cabernet savuignon wine barrels from Napa Valley's Rombauer yielding a dark amber color with glints of ruby. Their agaves are 100% organic and like all of their releases, is 100 proof.