Process

What is Raicilla?

Its history dates back hundreds of years, however it has only been legal to distill and import this spirit since 2019.Raicilla is differentiated by two main categories - mountain and coastal Raicillas. This refers to the area in which the Racilla is produced, since terroir plays a major role in the flavor of Raicilla. This is due to many factors, including the fact that Raicilla is fermented through "wild fermentation". This means that the microbes present in the area around that specific distillery are the yeast that ferment the harvested and cooked agaves. This is different than many commercial spirits which are produced with a specific yeast added by the distiller during fermentation, and is one of the reasons why Raicilla is so unique.Raicilla can be made with multiple species of agave, but the predominant species used is Agave Maximiliana. At El Viaje, our recipe is 100% Agave Maximiliana.

All traditional Raicillas are meant to be served "Blanco", which means not aged like many distilled spirits using wooden barrels. This is so you can truly appreciate the flavor of the agave, and experience the quality of the Raicilla in its truest form, as barrels incorporate their own flavors into a spirit and mask the true agave flavor.Another particular element of Raicilla is that the agaves are cooked in an above ground adobe oven which is sealed with mud and cooked for roughly 3 days. This lends to Raicilla having less of a smoky flavor like many mezcals which are cooked in earthern pits underground, therefore absorbing much of the smoky characteristics.

First, the agaves have to reach 8-10 years of age to have the proper sugar content to distill. After reaching this age, the agaves are harvested by hand through an extensive and labor staking process. Next the agaves are chopped and sent to the adobe oven for cooking. The Raicillero will load up the adobe oven, filling it with firewood and lighting it to create a roaring fire. Then he will take the pieces of the harvested agaves and toss them into the oven. The oven is sealed with mud to maintain the heat, and the agaves are cooked for roughly three days.All this is done by hand, unlike in commercial agave spirits where the pinas of the agaves are shredded via machines and then cooked in massive autoclaves (steam cookers)...everything is done by hand through a complete artisanal process with El Viaje Raicilla.

After cooking for 3 days, the agave pieces are transported to fermentation tanks where they complete the "wild fermentation" process. Fermentation takes around 7 days, but since this is wild fermentation it is less structured and the Raicillero will make the call of when they it is ready to distill.Finally the fermented agaves are transported to the still, and distilled to create the final product. El Viaje is distilled twice to remove impurities, yet maintaining a bold and beautiful Agave Maximiliana flavor.Flavor: Raicilla has an ambrosial flavor which is how it captivates so many people. The predominant flavor notes in a well made Raicilla are citrus, vanilla, earthiness, along with the pronounced agave notes as well. It is complex, and provides the individual with a truly unique experience.

At El Viaje, we believe we have found the ultimate combination of all these flavors in regards to our recipe.Where:El Viaje Raicilla is produced in a small village called "El Mosco" in the Western Sierra Occidental mountains of Jalisco state in Mexico (making it a mountain Raicilla). It distilled by two brothers: Benito and Jose Salcedo Rios. Being some of the youngest Raicilleros in the region, they have showcased their incredible talents in El Viaje Raicilla, which is produced on their family farm. For the first time ever, this amazing Raicilla is now being made available in the United States and beyond for everyone to enjoy and experience.