Sierra Norte Whiskey
Our Whiskies Are Made From Ancestral Non GMO Heirloom Corn Farmed by Traditional Farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The Sierra Norte Mountains of Oaxaca Mexico, with their profuse flora, abundant wildlife, and crystal clear, flowing waters, support some of the world’s most treasured biodiversity. More than any crop, corn embodies the life-giving relationship between these ancient mountains and their inhabitants. Descendants of the region’s first farmers continue replanting the best seeds from each harvest, as they and their ancestors have done for over 7,000 years.
85% OAXACAN HERITAGE CORN • 15% MALTED BARLEY
Made From Ancestral Non GMO Heirloom Corn
Our Whiskies Are Made From 85% Ancestral Non GMO Black, White, Yellow, Purple and Red Heirloom Corn Farmed by Traditional Farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico and 15% Malted Barley then Double Distilled in Copper Pot Stills and Aged Approximately 10 Months in French Oak Single Barrel Casks.
45% Alc/Vol (90 PROOF)
Sierra Norte Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey – Black
Tasting Notes“A deeper corn note than White, the Oaxacan black corn retains a firm nugget of sweetness, aromas of banana skins and dusty earth. To sip, it’s creamy, cool, and refreshing, with light mandarin flavors, gingerbread, corn fritters, vanilla, and peppery heat from the French oak cask. The finish has gentle warmth, with root ginger and kernels of roasted corn. Distinctive and highly promising.”
Jonny McCormick-Whisky Advocated
Sierra Norte Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey – White
Tasting Notes“White has the most familiar corn whiskey character of this Mexican trio. Sweet buttered cobs of corn, faint toasted spices, green corn husks, and peanuts on the nose. The palate is sweet, gentle, and refreshing, bathed in honey, with dried peel, sweet corn, toasted oak spices, and a late sensation of charred oak, burnt toast, and peppercorn. That slight burnt note just creeps into the finish.”
Jonny McCormick-Whisky Advocated
Sierra Norte Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey – Yellow
Tasting Notes“Blue iris, dried chilies, and fresh linen; the corn is sweet and fat. Fresh and fruity, orange marmalade, honey oozing into maple syrup, developing more complexity as the smooth layers shift to accommodate the growing pepper and chili heat ahead of a spicy honey finish. For a 10 month old single cask whiskey, this is remarkably impressive”
Jonny McCormick-Whisky Advocated
Sierra Norte Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey – Purple
Tasting Notes“Pepper and allspice light up with savory brisket notes, star anise, a dry nuttiness, and a pile of peanut shells. The flavor slowly comes into focus with stewed apple, red currant, pomegranate, and cranberry, background spices, and late caramel sweetness. The finish has throbbing, gum-tingling heavy clove notes with toffee penny chews and red licorice.”
Jonny McCormick-Whisky Advocated
Sierra Norte Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey – Red
Tasting Notes“Master distiller Douglas French unveils the single-barrel results of his latest heritage corn experiments: a dry and spicy nose with graham cracker, cornbread, red licorice, buttered corncobs, and a cloud of spices. It’s a big mouthful with flavors of fruit concentrate, red bell pepper, baked orange, clove, star anise, peppercorn, and toffee, with the spices congregating around the tip of the tongue, then a slightly vegetal finish”
Jonny McCormick-Whisky AdvocatedThe Sierra Norte Distillery Story
Sierra Norte distilling started with Master Distiller Douglas French’s passion to use different varieties of this ancient, flavorful Oaxacan corn to make a series of unique, outstanding whiskies. Each variety is distilled separately and matured in French Oak casks, so as to showcase its individual character and nuance.
Douglas French, Master Distiller
With 20+ years of Mezcal distilling under his belt, Doug French decided it was time to expand his craft and utilize his distilling equipment to its fullest capacity. Heirloom corn was a crop that could be grown annually and his love for whiskey led him to create the first Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey brand available in the US.
There are 8 regions in Oaxaca and they all join together in the capital, Oaxaca City. Doug French’s distillery is in San Agustin de las Juntas in the outskirts of the capital. This is where Sierra Norte Whiskey is distilled and matured into fine whiskey.
Doug coordinates with traditional farmers from various regions to plant and harvest the ancestral corn. Unfortunately for the traditional farmers in today’s world the dedication to sustaining the ancestral corns and farming is not competitive with GMO farming. So, the traditional heirloom corn, the people, and their culture are dying because they are not economically viable.
The ancestral corn is sold locally in the villages for making tortillas and tamales. As people leave the villages to immigrate north looking for jobs, the market for heirloom corn shrinks and the farmers also immigrate north looking for jobs.
Doug has developed a great corn whiskey recipe and production system. He buys the heirloom corn from the farmers at a fair price, so that they can earn a good wage and continue to live on their farms.
Sierra Norte Single Barrel Mexican Whiskey is sold in the Global market, where it competes with all the other fine and outstanding whiskies of the world. Ultimately, this income comes back to Oaxaca and the life cycle of sustainability is complete.
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Sierra Norte Distillery
610 Calle Piru
San Agustin de las Juntas, Oaxaca
Mexico 71260
610 Calle Piru
San Agustin de las Juntas, Oaxaca
Mexico 71260
Distilled and bottled exclusively by ScorpionMezcal SA de CV, Oaxaca, Mexico
Imported by Caballeros Inc./Park Street Imports, Miami, Fl.