Brazo Fuerte

Aguardiente Brazo Fuerte is 100% sugarcane rum from the Sierra Cuicateca, a mountainous region of Oaxaca. It is produced by Isidoro Krassel, a second generation master distiller who works with his four sons, Isidoro Jr., William, Rommel, and Axel.

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 Isidoro’s late father, Max Krassel. It 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.