Tastings of a blindman
A few months ago, Susan Coss mentioned she wanted to send me a bunch of samples of new mezcal she’d been receiving. I asked her to send them to me in unmarked bottles so I could taste them blind. Since the
Raicilla Venenosa Tabernas II Edición tasting notes
Details Location: El Tuito, Costa Norte, JaliscoAgave: Chico aguiar / A. angustifolia var? Maestro Mezcalero: Chalio RodriguezQuantity: 2,900 bottles / 3867 litersABV: 44.5%Tasting keywords: Fall spices, pepper. NOM: NA The rear label of La Venenosa's II Edición. Nose Deep and dusty, forrest floor and
Raicilla Venenosa Tabernas I tasting notes
Details Location: La Vieja, Sierra Occidental, JaliscoAgave: A. maximilianaMaestro Mezcalero: Antonio ArrizonQuantity: 1950 bottles / 1462.2 litersABV: 40%Tasting keywords: Lactic, tingly. NOM: NABuy it today Nose Funky business! This is Raicilla through and through with that fermented butter with a touch of pickle juice
Estancia Raicilla Tasting Notes
Details Location: La Estancia de Landeros, JaliscoAgave: A. maximiliana / LechugillaMaestro Raicillero: Alfredo SalvatierraBottle: 169Lot: 29ABV: 45%Tasting keywords: Mineral, lactic, roast agaveNOM: NABuy it today Nose Like many Raicillas the Estancia Raicilla is marked an amazing bouquet. I get a touch of lactic fermentation,
Conversations in Agave – May
The conundrum of the times - how the hours and days seem to last forever and yet a new month has arrived
Experiments in barrel aging
The other week I wrote a piece about a collaboration between Mezcal Tosba and a new brand out of New Mexico called Doña Tules. I had a chance to follow up on the story with the man behind the New
A Visit to Raicilla La Reina
When Silvia Gonzalez Lopez moved to the U.S. her husband got sick and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was ailing him. While he couldn’t work she spent long days at a meat packing facility in Iowa, sending money back
About that raicilla DO
There was news this week that raicilla would be getting its own Denominacion de Origen (DO). The devil of course is in the details. Having been overshadowed by the tequila industry, raicilla began taking root in consumers minds in the U.S.
Paired dinners and why mezcal works with anything
San Diego seems like a lifetime ago, though it was definitely not forgettable between the main event and the two mezcal paired dinners hosted by Kettner Exchange and Solare. I am still dreaming of that divine curry like sauce that topped the striped sea bass at the Kettner dinner and the risotto with lemon gelee at Solare. Yep, that good.
Tasting Notes: La Venenosa Raicilla Sierra de Jalisco
Since its premiere at Mezcal: Mexico in a Bottle 2014 Raicilla Venenosa has been a constant presence at better mezcalerias. It was the first racilla legally imported into the United States and was only recently joined by a second. The distinctive flavors of this other Jaliscan mezcal are well worth seeking out.
The details:
– Location: Mascota, Jalisco. – Agave: Agave maximiliana. – Maestro Mezcalero: Don Ruben Peña Fuentes – Quantity: 800 bottles – Distillation Date: April 2014 – ABV: 42%The background:
Esteban Morales really brought raicilla to the United States and we're all the richer for his work with Arik Torren to make that happen because raicilla is so different from other mezcals - once you try it you'll instantly understand why it deserves its own category.