Minero from Santa Catarina Minas has a nose full of flower essence, vanilla and figs with a burnt honey flavor and a bit of lemon. Minero is deep and warm, sweet all the way to the finish. One hour beyond the village of Chichicapa and through a mountain pass, one arrives at Santa Catarina Minas. This pueblo has an arid semi-tropical microclimate and great water! Our palenqueros, Florencio Carlos Sarmiento and his sons Florencio Carlos Vasquez and Luis Carlos Vasquez, are true craftsmen. Their “palenque” (site of production) is the most well organized we have seen, including a cistern to cool and recycle the water used in the condensation process.The most unique facet of this pueblo that gives the fruitiness to Minero, is that the still is made of clay with bamboo tubing, rather than the usual copper stills and tubing.