raicilla is an agave distillate produced in thirty-two municipalities in four primary regions of western Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico: the Sierra Occidental, the Sierra de Amula, the Costa Sur, and the Costa Norte. Raicilla can be produced from any variety of agave that grows within these four regions. Agave maximiliana, A. inaequedens, and A. valencia are more common in the mountainous regions, while A. angustifolia and A. rhodacantha are prevalent along the coast. That diversity in base materials infuses the category: raicillas can be intense and pungent, smoky, earthy, or floral and almost, but not quite, delicate.
As with other agave distillates in Mexico, production entails harvesting and roasting the plants, milling, fermentation, and distillation. Throughout the region, however, diverse production methods reign. Roasting may be in earthen ovens or above-ground masonry ovens. Milling may be by hand in hollowed tree trunks or in stone vats, or by tahona. Fermentation occurs by natural yeasts with or without the fibers from the hearts included (the fibers mean more labor, but also more flavor). Raicillas may be once- or twice-distilled using the Chinese-style internal condensation stills introduced to Mexico by Filipino sailors in the 1500s, incorporating wooden or clay condensers with copper or stainless pots.
See also agave; bacanora; mezcal; and tahona.
Valenzuela Zapata, Ana G., and Marie Sarita Gaytán. “Sustaining Biological and Cultural Diversity.” Revue d’ethnoécologie 2 (2012). http://ethnoecologie.revues.org/990 (accessed April 26, 2021).
By: Misty Kalkofen