Gran Maizal Corn Whiskey 750ml

Gran Maizal was founded by Cesar Ayala and Gonzalo de la Pezuela with input from whiskey expert Heather Greene, built around the idea of celebrating corn's roots in ancient Mexico while supporting the small farmers who still grow heirloom varieties. The whisky is distilled at Destileria La Vibora in Merida, in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a region where maize has held cultural and culinary importance for thousands of years.

Gran Maizal is distilled entirely from ancient Yucatan corn varieties, including Nal T'eel, considered the oldest recognized maize lineage still under cultivation. A portion of the corn is toasted before cooking, and fermentation runs on a proprietary natural yeast, then passes through a copper pot still with aggressive cuts to keep the spirit clean. Rather than resting in oak, the whisky finishes in porous terracotta vessels that preserve its nixtamalized corn character while adding subtle wood influence, and a brief steep with cured vanilla pods and cacao nibs rounds out the flavor before bottling at 43 percent alcohol.

The nose leads with toasted corn and cured vanilla bean, followed by notes of pure cacao. On the palate, the sweetness of corn meets a gentle cacao bitterness and soft floral vanilla, finishing smooth and warm.