The Best Mezcals

This is the second release from El Silencio following up their Joven ensemble bottling. It is meant as more of an introductory bottling and is priced accordingly. Made from 100% espadín, this is distilled in San Baltazar Guelavila, Oaxaca and made by Master Mescalier Pedro Hernandez. It is produced traditionally with agaves roasted in a mesquite-lined pit and the agaves are crushed by a horse-drawn tahona. Natural fermentation is allowed and the mezcal is double-distilled in copper pot stills.

This joven expression is made from a blend of 90% Espadín and 10% Barril agave grown at elevations of 1379 and 1740 meters, respectively. It is bottled unaged at 84 proof.

First announced in July 2019, Dos Hombres Mezcal is a collaboration between Breaking Bad actors Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. The duo sourced a mezcal producer in the village of San Luis del Rio in Oaxaca, Mexico to produce their mezcal. It's made with espadín agave which is roasted in an earthen pit for four days. Then the cooked agave is crushed with a tahona stone and open-air fermented for several days. After distillation in a copper pot, the mezcal is brought to proof and bottled without aging. (SRP $59.99)

Montelobos (mountain of wolves) is an unaged mezcal produced from organic espadín agave. The agaves are sourced from Loma Larga in Santiago Matatlán Oaxaca. After roasting for 5-7 days in a volcanic stone pit, the agaves are crushed with a tahona and allowed to naturally ferment. Montelobos was created by Dr. Iván Saldaña and is produced by 5th generation mezcalero, Don Abel Lopez.

This entry-level espadín mezcal from Wahaka is made from agave that’s sustainably grown on a palenque that mezcalero Alberto “Beto” Morales describes as “a place of respect and harmony, where no arguments or even bad words may be uttered.” Certified organic by the USDA and Mayacert, Morales’ distillation process includes the use of a traditional tahona and double distillation in a copper alembic.

Mezcal Vago Elote begins innocently enough as the brand's 100% agave espadin mezcal. But master mezcalero Aquilino García López takes it further by adding toasted corn (elote) to the spirit after its second distillation. After days of infusion, the roasted corn is separated and the mezcal is distilled for a third and final time. It's bottled unaged.

Alipús is a product line of traditionally made village mezcals created by the group behind the Los Danzantes (aka Los Nahuales) line of mezcals. Each expression highlights a different village and distiller. San Andrés is fermented using wild yeasts in cypress vats before it is double distilled in a copper pot still. Don Valente Angel Garcia Juárez distills this espadín mezcal in the village of San Andrés in Xitlapehua, Oaxaca.

Mezcal Unión Uno is a silver mezcal distilled from 2 types of agave: espadín and cirial. It's produced by a group of mezcal families and Master Mezcalero Pedro Hernandez in San Baltazar, Oaxaca.

Bozal, translated to "untamed," alludes to the wild agave species used in the production of the brand's mezcals. Bozal Mezcal Espadín-Barril-Mexicano is an ensamble of three wild agaves grown in the villages of Ejutla de Crespo and San Baltazar, Oaxaca. Mezcaleros uphold the traditional method, producing this mezcal in small batches using earthen ovens for cooking the agave, stone tahona wheels for crushing the agave, the open air for natural fermentation, and copper pot stills for double distillation. This mezcal is bottled at 47% ABV.

Driving through the villages, in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico you'll come across several "palenques" or distilleries each telling a tale. The stories coming out of their stills are of a particular place: the soil, the elevation, the growing seasons, the species of agave as well as the skill and sensibilities of the mezcalero (distiller). The Del Maguey “Chichicapa" comes from the valley floor of the village of Chichicapa, made entirely from agave espadín and hand-crafted by Faustino Garcia Vasquez.