ORGULLOSAMENTE OAXAQUEÑO
Aguardiente Brazo Fuerte
Allow us to present the distinguished legacy of Max Krassel, a resilient individual who, at the tender age of 16, sought refuge in Veracruz, Mexico, fleeing the turmoil of World War I Germany. Max eventually found himself immersed in the intricacies of distilling aguardiente in the enchanting Sierra Cuicateca, a mountainous region of Oaxaca, where he met and married his wife.
In the 1930s, Max inaugurated his own distillery in the mountainous expanse using a still that he designed and built himself. Today, we proudly introduce Isidoro Krassel, the second-generation master distiller, continuing the family's cherished tradition alongside his four sons—Isidoro Jr., William, Rommel, and Axel—in the scenic Santa Maria Tlalixtac of the Oaxacan mountains.
We proudly welcome Brazo Fuerte to the BHI portfolio. Brazo Fuerte is a joint production of the Krassel family and the Perez Alcantara family who are helping to commercialize the brand.
Our certified organic sugarcane thrives on slopes approximately 1,200 meters above sea level. Meticulously harvested by hand after 18-24 months of cultivation. The cane is then mechanically crushed on-site using a mobile "trapiche" to extract its precious juice. In areas inaccessible by mule, a thoughtful rolling process ensures the cane reaches extraction sites.
The extracted juice gracefully descends to fermentation vats, where native yeasts orchestrate a transformation into tepache over 5-7 days. To preserve the characteristic aromas and flavors of the aguardiente, our distillation process employs eight plates in the Krassel Still column.
This continuous still, an engineering marvel invented by Max himself, boasts the unique feature of producing no heads or tails. Its distillation ABV is carefully regulated by the temperature of the cooling chambers and the flow of fresh caña juice to the boiling chamber—a spectacle that must be witnessed to be fully comprehended.
In a departure from conventional practices, the Krassel Family fuels their still with diesel, eschewing the more common use of firewood. This commitment reflects their dedication to preserving regional forests, increasingly endangered by deforestation, as they strive to uphold the finest traditions of Oaxacan aguardiente production.