Maiz Nation Whiskey Blanco

Maiz Nation Whiskey Blanco is whiskey before the barrel: a 96-proof (48% ABV), non-chill-filtered unaged whiskey distilled from four ancient corn varietals of Oaxaca — and it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

The corn is the story. Chalqueño from above 9,000 feet in the Sierra Mixteca; Tepecintle from the rain-forested slopes of the Lower Chinantla; Olotillo from the Pacific coastal plains; fast-growing Bolita from high Sierra to low tropics — in fantastic shades of red, yellow, purple, blue, black, and white, sourced directly from the Zapotec, Mixtec, and Chinantec smallholding farmers who have selected these seeds for some 6,500 years. The grain is stoneground on site, mashed and proofed with 100% rainwater, and very slowly distilled on small solar-powered copper alembics at the off-grid SolCraft Distillery in San Agustín Etla.

Tasting notes: rich, baroque ancestral-corn flavors — sweet corn, tropical fruit, floral grain, and a creamy, textured palate; clean, bold, and unmistakably alive.

Why buy the Blanco? Because it is the purest expression of what makes Maiz Nation different — four ancient corns, rainwater, copper alembics, no oak in the way — and the starting point for understanding Mexican whiskey. Browse the world whisky collection, the Maiz Nation brand collection, and more international spirits.

Serving note: sip neat at 48% ABV to taste the corn terroir; also superb in a whiskey sour or a highball with soda.

What is the proof? 96 proof (48% ABV), non-chill-filtered.

What corn is it made from? Four ancient Oaxacan varietals: Chalqueño, Bolita, Tepecintle, and Olotillo.

Is it aged? No — Blanco is the unaged expression, showing the corn and the distillation without oak.

Who makes it? Maestro Destilador Jonathan Barbieri at the off-grid, solar-powered SolCraft Distillery in Oaxaca, Mexico.