On the Cortés family farm, its used as fuel to fire the stills and as fertilizer in the fields. It can also be used to make adobe bricks and as insulation.

The artisans that handmake our labels also use bagazo as the base for paper.

Ordinarily, the agave would put its energy in to producing its flowering stalk (or ‘quixote’) once its reached maturity. But by cutting the stalk, the energy goes back into the ‘pina’ and enriches it with sugar.

Felipe and Ageo often leave agaves ‘capon’ for over 6 months, or even years, in order to add depth of flavour to their mezcals.

Depending on where you are in Mexico, words like ‘taberna’ or ‘vinata’ may also be used.

The word gives a nod to mezcal’s often clandestine history. When mezcal was outlawed by the authorities in New Spain (in an effort to promote European wine) producers took to the hills and set up their distillery’s in clearings, or ‘palenques’.

The resulting mezcals can be incredibly smooth and well rounded. Pechuga is now used to describe all sorts of different infusions, using things like fruit, herbs and spices.

The agave’s pencas spiral upwards, balancing light and shade: the upper leaves let enough sunlight through for those below while offering protection from excessive heat. Their form also gathers rainwater, funnelling it down to nourish the roots.

The pencas themselves have a thick waxy mixiote skin that reflects heat and retains moisture​. And their stomata pores will open overnight to take in CO₂ for photosynthesis during cool nights to minimise water loss.

A true survivor.​