Gozona Tobaziche Destilado Mezcal
Gozona Tobaziche Destilado Mezcal is an uncertified destilado de agave from Luis Enrique Juárez of San Agustín Amatengo, Ejutla, Oaxaca, distilled from 100% Tobaziche agave (Agave karwinskii) and bottled at 51% ABV (102 proof) in a 750mL bottle. The agave is roasted in conical earth ovens over mesquite, crushed by ox-drawn tahona, fermented naturally in sabino vats with mountain spring water, and distilled in a copper refrescadera still. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- Style: Destilado de agave (uncertified mezcal), joven
- ABV: 51% (102 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Producer: Luis Enrique Juárez (with Sergio Juárez), Gozona
- Region: San Agustín Amatengo, Ejutla, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Agave: Tobaziche (Agave karwinskii)
Sharing From the Heart
Gozona is the work of maestro Luis Enrique Juárez of San Agustín Amatengo, in the Ejutla district of Oaxaca. A schoolteacher by trade, Luis Enrique is the heir to five generations of master distillers: he learned at the side of his father, Sergio Juárez, and built his own brand — Gozona, a Zapotec word meaning “sharing from the heart.” He is an expert in the copper refrescadera still, a traditional technique original to his town, and every batch follows the same slow arc: agave roasted in conical earth ovens over mesquite wood, crushed by ox-drawn tahona, and fermented naturally in sabino wood vats with mountain spring water. Because the Juárez family bottles outside the mezcal denomination, the label reads “Spirits Distilled from Agave” — a destilado de agave in the oldest Amatengo tradition, imported to the US by PM Spirits.
Tasting Notes
A strikingly pretty Tobaziche: pine nuts and plush orchard fruit on the nose, then light spice, poached pear and green apple on a viscous, mouth-coating palate. Tobaziche is the karwinskii that drinks almost Burgundian, and at 51% this one carries its fruit effortlessly. Pour it beside the Gozona Barril Chino Destilado Mezcal from the same palenque to taste two faces of Agave karwinskii, and browse the wider mezcal shelf for more.
How to Enjoy
Neat, in a wide-mouthed glass, with time — the orchard fruit opens slowly. It is a contemplative sipper rather than a mixer, though a few drops over a large cube will stretch the pear and spice. See the full tequila and agave spirits collection and the rest of our spirits range for pairing bottles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gozona Tobaziche a mezcal?
It is produced exactly as mezcal is in Amatengo, but bottled outside the denomination of origin, so it is labeled a destilado de agave — “Spirits Distilled from Agave.”
What is Tobaziche?
Tobaziche is a wild variety of Agave karwinskii, known for herbal depth wrapped in orchard fruit.
What proof is it?
51% ABV, 102 proof, per the current bottling on the Rock Steady Spirits pricebook.
Order Gozona Tobaziche Destilado Mezcal online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor while this small batch lasts.