Del Maguey Arroqueño Mezcal

I cracked open this bottle of mezcal, namely because was just in the mood for a non-whiskey for my Friday eve once -a-week pour. This is what Del Maguey refers to as “vino de mezcal”. It’s one of their rarer mezcals, made with nothing except agave and the Oaxacan heat. The arroqueno agave is one of the hardest ones to harvest. It grows at an elevation of 5000 ft, is a huge prehistoric looking spiky plant, and can take up to 25 years before it can be harvested. Then it’s milled by hand, and left to ferment in the open air until two distillations. Until I had this , my favorite mezcal had been Del Maguey Chichicapa. This blows that out of the water. I had to let it sit out for a while, and add just a few drops of water. But once I did that, I got freshly cut rosemary aroma. Taste was amazing—-cantaloupes, mint, a bit of light earthy smoke. One of the more complex spirits I’ve had, and easily the best mezcal. Complexity rivals that of top tier single malts. Now, here’s the kicker—-only 360 bottles of this is produced. Yeah...I’d classify that in the rare category. If it’s still available, you won’t be disappointed, especially at $80-110 price range.

Nose: Guava, pears, pineapple, lacquer, night-blooming jasmine, black licorice, something vegetal, Aztec-style chocolate, sweet paprika... I could go on. Palate: Rich, oily, peppery, creamy, floral, savory Finish: Sweet, tangy I’m no mezcal expert, but this is one of the most extraordinary spirits I’ve sampled. The only thing that’s missing is a stronger sense of smoke, which doesn’t extend beyond the hint of paprika on the nose. Regardless, this is an incredibly complex mezcal that keeps revealing new flavors. There’s so much going on that you’ll find yourself sipping it more slowly than you might usually. Highly recommended and not as hard to find as one would think for a release that was supposedly limited to 360 bottles. There appear to be multiple lots, so perhaps the number refers to each batch.

A great Mezcal, a bit spicy, fairly mild on the smoke, nice long finish, found it for $116 a bottle on Drizly - tempting.