Pal' Alma Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo Destilado de Agave 59% Alc/Vol | 750ml

Exceptionally small-batch and rooted in the traditional agave-distilling practices of Puebla, Mexico, Pal' Alma Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo Destilado de Agave is produced by Maestro Asunción Matilde Vargas from Espadilla agave. This distinctive expression incorporates chepiche, pápalo, and cilantro criollo during distillation, bringing traditional Mexican herbs into an already highly artisanal production process. With a batch totaling only 72 bottles, this is an exceptionally limited release.

Process & Production

Pal' Alma Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo is produced in the state of Puebla, Mexico, by Maestro Asunción Matilde Vargas using Espadilla agave.

The agave is traditionally cooked in a conical earthen pit oven built into the ground, translated from “horno cónico de tierra al piso.”

After cooking, the agave is processed using a ground-level canoe-style trough and an axe (“canoa de tierra y hacha”), maintaining the hands-on approach used throughout production.

Fermentation occurs naturally with wild yeasts in a ground-level stone fermentation vessel, translated from “levaduras silvestres en pila de piedra al piso.” The production process uses both natural spring water (manantial) and well water (pozo).

The fermented agave undergoes double distillation in a traditional clay pot still fitted with a palo blanco wood component. During distillation, chepiche, pápalo, and cilantro criollo are incorporated, adding another layer of regional botanical character to the Espadilla agave distillate.

Appearance

Crystal clear and brilliant, keeping the focus on the Espadilla agave, wild fermentation, clay-pot distillation, and the three herbs incorporated during production.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Expressive cooked agave with fresh herbal and vegetal aromas, accompanied by earth, minerals, and fermentation-driven complexity.

Palate: Concentrated and agave-forward with earthy and mineral character complemented by an herbaceous dimension from the chepiche, pápalo, and cilantro criollo.

Finish: Persistent and distinctly herbal, with lingering cooked agave, earth, minerals, fresh vegetation, and botanical character.

What Makes It Special

The defining feature of Pal' Alma Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo is the incorporation of three traditional herbs during distillation.

Chepiche is an aromatic Mexican herb known for its distinctive herbal character. Pápalo is another strongly aromatic herb used in Mexican cuisine, while cilantro criollo refers to a traditional local form of cilantro. Together, they give this bottling a distinctly botanical identity while allowing the Espadilla agave to remain the foundation of the spirit.

The underlying production is equally traditional. Espadilla agave is cooked underground in a conical earthen oven, manually processed using an axe and canoe-style trough, naturally fermented with wild yeasts in stone, and double distilled using a clay pot still with palo blanco wood.

Production is extraordinarily small, with this particular batch yielding just 72 bottles.

How to Enjoy

Best enjoyed neat in a copita or traditional agave-spirit tasting glass. Allow the spirit several minutes to rest after pouring so the cooked Espadilla agave, wild-fermentation character, minerals, and aromatic herbs can develop fully.

Given the extremely limited 72-bottle batch and unusual botanical distillation, this expression is particularly well suited to slow tasting and comparison with other traditional regional agave distillates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of agave is used?
This expression is produced from Espadilla agave.

Who is the master distiller?
The master distiller is Asunción Matilde Vargas.

Where is Pal' Alma Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo produced?
It is produced in the state of Puebla, Mexico.

What botanicals are used?
The expression incorporates chepiche, pápalo, and cilantro criollo during distillation.

How is the agave cooked?
The production information describes a conical earthen pit oven built into the ground.

How is the cooked agave processed?
The production method uses a canoe-style trough and axe.

How is it fermented?
It undergoes natural fermentation with wild yeasts in a ground-level stone vessel.

What type of water is used?
The production process uses both natural spring water and well water.

How is it distilled?
It undergoes double distillation in a clay pot still with a palo blanco wood component, with chepiche, pápalo, and cilantro criollo incorporated during the process.

How limited is this release?
This particular batch consists of only 72 bottles.

What is the bottle size?
This expression comes in a 750ml bottle.

Pricing & Availability

This listing includes one 750ml bottle of Pal' Alma Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo Destilado de Agave, produced from Espadilla agave by Maestro Asunción Matilde Vargas in Puebla as part of a batch of only 72 bottles. Available now on our website while supplies last.

Brand Story

Pal' Alma focuses on traditional Mexican agave distillates that preserve the identities of individual maestros, regional agaves, and highly localized production methods. Rather than standardizing these spirits, each bottling highlights the specific ingredients and techniques behind an individual production.

Chepiche, Papalo y Cilentro Criollo is a particularly distinctive example of that philosophy. Maestro Asunción Matilde Vargas combines Espadilla agave with underground earthen cooking, axe processing, wild fermentation in stone, and clay-pot distillation in Puebla. The incorporation of three traditional herbs—chepiche, pápalo, and cilantro criollo—during distillation gives this exceptionally limited 72-bottle batch its individual identity.