The 2020 business story of Mezcal: the retail market
This is part one of a multipart series. You can read part two here. First the obvious, 2020 created unprecedented challenges for the world of mezcal. If you had asked anyone in January or February of 2020 what the sales
Bowl Of ‘Zole: Pozole & Agave Spirits In Brooklyn
Produced by three powerhouses of the New York food and spirits industry, Danny Mena and Arik Torren joined forces with Jimmy Carbone to produce this unique and delicious event. The Mexican food and beverage festival was on leap day weekend,
DAKABEND tasting notes
I know, it's not a mezcal but we'll be writing more about the expanding world of Mexican spirits so hang onto your hats and all your parsing. DAKABEND is the latest label from Tosba makers Edgar Gonzales-Ramirez and Elisandro Gonzalez
Las Perlas de Jalisco Raicilla de Costa tasting notes
The leanest raicilla I've ever tasted but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have fruit or fermentation. It's still very much a raicilla. Details Location: Las Guásimos, JaliscoAgave: Amarillo, Verde (angustifolia and rhodacantha)Maestro Mezcalero: Santiago Dìaz RamosQuantity: 660 bottlesABV: 48Availability: Now in
Los Nahuales Special Edition No. 3 tasting notes
The Los Nahuales Special Edition No. 3 sings of balance and diversity, reflecting the ensemble of agaves within. Details Location: Santiago MatatlanAgaves: 48% wild tobalá, 26% upland espadín, 13% wild tepextate, 13% sierrudo (agave americana)Maestro Mezcalero: Joel Antonio JuanABV: 48.76%Distilled April
Mezcalero 19 tasting notes
Intro A really fun ensemble in the Mezcalero line that has some exceptional flavor gyrations. Details Location: San Luis del Rio Agaves: Cirial and espadin Maestro Mezcalero: Don Baltazar Cruz Gonzales ABV: 47.8% Distilled March 2015, released 2017 500 liters produced (666
Mezcalero Special Bottling #3 tasting notes
Intro The Mezcalero series just keeps on rolling forward with amazing finds from across Oaxaca. These are all micro releases the way things used to be done so if you get a chance, don't pass it up. Details Location: San Juan del
Mezcalero #18 tasting notes
Ansley Coale at Craft Distillers continues a stellar run of small batch releases with the Mescalero #18. This is a mix of Bicuixe, Madrecuixe, Mexicano, and Espadín from the Miahuatlan area. Don Valente is the maestro mezcalero behind this bottle
You buried my mezcal in shit?
In goat shit, to be precise. Take a look at the video below where Craft Distillers' Ansley Coale introduces Mezcalero Special #4 with the full story on how you pull great aging characteristics from mezcal. It's a blend of espadín and wild bicuixe but it's also aged for six months in a pile of goat shit which, he claims, contributes to the balance in the mezcal. That's a tradition that I've seen in Michoacan and always thought was just an easy way of keeping the mezcal out of people's hands and out of the light so that it could rest but Ansley mentions another potential factor, heat generated from the manure.
Tasting Notes: Mezcalero #17
The latest in Craft Distillers’ Mezcalero line which delivers extremely small production batches from a variety of locations around Oaxaca.