Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
The world of mezcal evolves and grows
From the consumer’s view, the world of mezcal in 2020 is radically different from that of 10 years ago. Del Maguey, which 25 years ago pioneered the discovery and marketing in the
United States of smallproduction, geographically specific bottles, is still going strong, though its visionary founder, Ron Cooper, sold a controlling interest in the brand to the beverage giant Pernod Ricard in 2017.
Rather than packaging his discoveries as a luxury brand or with celebrity tie-ins in the fashion of tequila, mezcal’s agave cousin, Cooper emphasized the cultural significance of mezcal, highlighting its ability — through traditional, laborious methods of production — to transmit the character of a place and a people.
But where 10 years ago, Del Maguey alone seemed to be shining a light on the enormous potential and complexity of mezcal, now more than a few entrepreneurs, no doubt inspired by Cooper’s example, have entered the artisanal mezcal business.
While “artisanal” has become a marketing buzzword, it seems to mean something more with mezcal. Entrepreneurs with dollar signs in their eyes have gotten into the act, no surprise, but the best and most interesting bottles are still the most rustic and distinctive, rather than the most polished.
Nowadays, dozens of small-production bottles are available, each highlighting the styles of small mezcaleros, or mezcal makers, local production techniques and the various sorts of agaves that are permitted to be used in mezcal production.
Unlike tequila, which can be produced only from the blue agave in the state of Jalisco and a few surrounding areas, mezcal can legally be made in 10 Mexican states with any sort of agave.
Practically speaking, though, most mezcal comes from Oaxaca, and most of the time it’s made from the espadín agave. Yet it’s not rare to find mezcals made of other sorts of agaves with names like barril, jabalí, cuishe, tepeztate and tobalá.
To get a sense of the evolved world of mezcal today, the spirits panel recently tasted 20 bottles. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant of The New York Times and I were joined by two drinks writers and historians, David Wondrich and Robert Simonson.
Mezcal, like tequila, often comes with an age statement: joven, or young; reposado, which is aged in oak for up to a year, and añejo, which is aged one to three years. I love the purity of agave spirits undistorted by oak, so for this tasting we stuck to joven.
As usual, we bought all the bottles retail, and we capped the selections at $100 a bottle, which ruled out quite a few. Even without the most expensive choices, we all marveled at the high level of quality in the tasting. We were floored by the wide variety of flavors, complex and strange in the best possible way.
In the past I had come to think of smokiness as the defining feature of mezcal. In this tasting, smokiness, which comes from roasting the agaves in rock-lined pits before fermentation, was just one of many components.
We found aromas and flavors of herbs, vegetables, jalapeños, flowers and a lot more, often in combinations that seemed to vary widely from bottle to bottle.
What accounts for such variety? Partly, it’s a reflection of the diversity of raw materials. Agaves take a long time to grow, and can vary in age. Some are harvested after five years, others after many more.
It’s also a function of production techniques — copper pot stills are most common, for example, but some mezcaleros still use clay stills.
Local traditions differ as well. Sometimes mezcals are redistilled with grains or nuts to add flavor.
It’s often said by mezcal enthusiasts that the spirit needs to be at least 45% alcohol to show its true character. Perhaps that’s true. Seven bottles in our tasting had alcohol levels under 45%, and only two of those made our top 10.
Our top bottle was the Rezpiral Abel Martínez Series Four, named after the mezcalero who produced it. It was briny, deep and complex with a pronounced saline quality.
No. 2 was the subtle, complex, lightly smoky
Agave de Cortés Espadín, the sort of spirit in which you seem to taste something different with every sip. By contrast, the No. 3 Sombra was rich, deep and assertive, though not as complex. At $35, it was also our best value.
I recognize that many of these mezcals may be difficult to find. The good news is that even if you cannot find the precise bottles that we tasted, many of these brands offer a variety of different bottlings, made by other mezcaleros in different villages using their own techniques and sometimes other sorts of agaves.
They are all worth trying. No doubt, you will find favorites that we did not taste. With mezcal circa 2020, discovery is part of the thrill.
Tasting report
1. Rezpiral Mezcal Espadín Abel Martínez Series Four, 48%, $75: Briny, deep and multidimensional, with herbal, saline, licorice and smoke flavors. (USA Wine Imports, New York)
2. Agave de Cortés Mezcal Joven Espadín, 45%, $40: Subtle, complex and balanced, with lightly smoky, floral and vegetal aromas and flavors. (Back Bar Project, Seattle)
3. Sombra Mezcal Joven, 45%, $35 (Best Value):
Spicy, vegetal and floral, with deep, rich flavors of licorice and herbs. (Davos Brands, New York)
4. Montelobos Mezcal Joven Espadín, 43.2%, $32: Balanced and complex, with an oily texture and subtle, smoky, herbal and floral flavors. (Campari America, New York)
5. Nuestra Soledad Mezcal Joven Espadín San Baltazar, 47%, $55: Complex and assertive, with meaty, peppery, vegetal flavors. (Back Bar Project)
6. Vago Mezcal Elote Aquilino García, 50.3%,
$66: Bracing, powerful and rich, with aromas and lightly sweet flavors of flowers, herbs, licorice and jalapeño. (Montañero Mezcal, Ophir, Colorado)
7. Yuu Baal Mezcal Joven Espadín, 48%, $37: Spicy and subtle, with flavors of sweet vanilla, spices and bell pepper. (Pacific Edge Imports, Agoura Hills, California)
8. Banhez Mezcal Joven Cuishe, 47%, $95: Fresh and almost meadowy, with floral, herbal and vegetal flavors. (CNI Brands, Manhasset, New York)
9. Derrumbes Mezcal
San Luis Potosí Salmiana, 43.9%, $40: Briny, spicy and vegetal, with flavors of pickled chiles. (PM Spirits, Brooklyn, New York)
10. Alipús San Andrés Mezcal Joven, 47.3%, $57: Unusual, with peppery, fruity, herbal and sarsparilla flavors. (Kastara Imports, Ukiah, California)