Raicilla has been made in Mexico for over 500 years and pre-dates the pre-hispanic era. In its early forms, it would have been classed as agave distilled spirit, akin to Mezcal. With its recent Denomination of Origin Protection in 2019, Raicilla as a stand-alone category is booming. La Venenosa Raicilla is the OG brand when it comes to Raicilla. The brand was created in 2011 by chef and Maestro Esteban Morales to bring these hidden Raicilla gems to the global market. In this ancestral expression of La Venenosa, Etnica Tutsi is reserved, rare and extremely limited. This agave spirit is from the Huichol people in northwest Jalisco and is typically only consumed during Wixarika ceremonies. For the Wixarikas the Tutsi is not just a drink, it is an entity that gives life. Don Rafael is the last known Wixarika distiller. A rare collector’s item from 500-year-old distillation and production methods.

High up in the secluded village to Tatei Kie in the region of La Guayaba, Jalisco we find MaestroTabernero Don Rafael Carrillo Pizano. Don Rafael comes from a long line of Huichol’s and is the last Wixarika distiller carrying on these centuries-old traditions. Floating between wild Agave May or Agave Masparillo Don Rafael picks the ripest of agaves to ensure the sugar content is at its peak. After shaving the leaves to expose the cleanest of flesh he roasts the split agaves in earthen ovens, with black oak timber and pine for fuel. Once cooked the agaves are crushed by hand with tree stump mallets and fermented in stone pools with the addition of wild airborne yeast. The Tutsi is distilled once Huichol style, in the trunk of a tree.

While we call this spirit a Raicilla for ease of use on this site, Tutsi is the name that is used to describe it locally. Tutsi was lost for about 25 years and Don Rafael is the only practising producer left. To you we pay homage. We are honoured to exclusively import and share this brand with Australia.