“Tío” Pedro Hernandez Arellanes
Tio pedro first began working
at palenques in his hometown of Santa Catarina Minas when he was twenty years old - over 50 years ago. At the ripe young age of 62, Pedro was able to finally build his own small distillery, La Esperanza, in his backyard. His small underground oven can fit about three tons of agave, although he often roasts much less. Tio Pedro’s nephew Lalo and his extended family help him mash the roasted agave with wooden mallets, where they then ferment in pine tanks with water from a local well.
Tio Pedro maintains the centuries-old tradition of Santa Catarina Minas: clay pot stills made in Santa María Atzompa. The clay pots lend a fuller body and mineral texture to his spirits, which oftentimes possess a distinct ripe banana sweetness and notes of cocoa powder and honey.
Tio Pedro’s batches are on the very small side - sometimes the result of just one tina fermenting.
Expressions by Tio Pedro include:
Blessing the oven.