Del Maguey San Luis Del Rio Azul Mezcal

A delicate, Joven Agave spirit by Mezcalero: Marcos Cruz Mendez & Paciano Cruz Nolasco for Del Maguey Mezcal NOM-O41X in San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca, Mexico made with Maguey Azul & spring water in a copper still. It has an aromatic birth with notes of citrus, tropical fruits, herbs & spices; while a full life adds notes of white peppercorn, clove, agave, orange zest, mint & anise; that led to a creamy death of medium length with notes of wet stone, copper, sea spray & smoke. November 2021

Flight

* My bottle: From Lot SLR 125. Nose: Citrus fruits, nail polish remover, methylated spirit, white pepper. Herbal notes and a faint sandalwood incense aroma. In the background a tiny touch of smoke and a little iodine. Palate: A dry arrival supporting a light fruit character. The development is even more drying with light smoke and soft pepper and chilli notes. A definite earthy herbal quality. There's a somewhat acidic quality to the palate. Finish: Long. After the dry, crisp palate it turns sweet in the finish but still features pepper and light smoke. There is a core "green vegetal" note running through this which mainly comes out as a herbal character. It is a lighter and fruitier sort of mezcal but there is also a methanol character to the nose that borders on troubling. I'm not sufficiently experienced to know whether this is a characteristic aroma of blue agave when it's prepared à la mezcal, or if it's just due to a wide cut in the second run, particularly at the start (sure smells like it's a bit "heady"). It's a dry apertif type of mezcal but adding a little water softens it considerably. Definitely worth trying, it definitely has that Del Maguey "artisan" profile but it's not at the top of the Del Maguey ladder by any means (but that still puts it ahead of a lot of other mezcals). "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)