Scott_E
Del Maguey Arroqueño Mezcal
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed
August 15, 2020 (edited December 3, 2021)
This Friday night pours me a tequila courtesy of my Mexican supplier @PBMichiganWolverine Never having a Mezcal previously, I am not sure what to expect. But, hey, it’s a Friday night.
Color is water like clear and clean.
An herbal and earthy base nose with a delicate sweetness. Cedar, cantaloupe, cocoa powder with a maltiness of ovaltine.
A smokiness that is Islay-like with grass and herbal flavors and green vegetables. Melon rinds, lime zest, oranges, mangoes, Granny Smith apples, raw broccoli and bitter dark chocolate. All these flavors are bold, strong and in you face (and palate).
Finish is black pepper with caramel,melon with a medium ride out of barrel char.
This is a tequila that is unlike any I have had previously. Not being experienced is tequilas, though my exposure has been broader, I found this to be unique and vibrant. Light and smokey with a bitter edge and complexity. A good sipping tequila. However, it wasn’t the over the top tequila that I expected. Maybe it my first Mezcal and inexperience. Maybe my palate is less tequila refined. All-in-all, a fine sipping tequila. Thanks Pranay for a rare treat. [88/100][Tasted: 8/14/20]
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I missed this review when it was first posted - mea culpa - but right on target, mate. One of the most Islay-like mezcal profiles I've tasted. The Wolverine did you a big favour here - cracking good stuff! Cheers!
@PBMichiganWolverine - i have 2 bottles of the DM Arroqueno. One will be opened this week. I’ll keep you posted on how good it is and smokiness. It’s last year‘s vintage so I don’t want to wait too long before opening. Although they have rubber stoppers, I’m not sure they’ll survive that well sitting on the shelf too long. :)
@PBMichiganWolverine @Rick_M this wasn’t terribly smoky. Some char but nothing like an Ardbeg. I guess it did weaken.
@Scott_E good point by @Rick_M . I think I sent this over an year ago—-I’d imagine that smoke is but a shadow of its original
@Richard-ModernDrinking All new to me in terms of classifications, etc. I have sampled, but don’t really know the broad and the narrow of it all. Slowly working down that rabbit hole. Looking for you all. Slowly catching up...
@Scott_E You mean you are a noob to mezcal, or more broadly agave. Not all agave is mezcal. Come join us down the rabbit hole... we’ll take care of you.
@Rick_M thanks for the info. Was unaware. It’s categorized by region, like wine. Such a noob to tequila. Lol.
@Scott_E - actually the reverse is considered to be more true, meaning tequila is a type mezcal. Mezcal can be made from any type of agave where tequila is only made from blue agave. Also, mezcal can be made anywhere in Mexico, where tequila is only made in the state of Jalisco, with a couple of exceptions. 90% of mezcal is made in the state of Oaxaca. Lastly, a bottle of mezcal is best consumed within a few months if opening, since its smoky properties diminish rapidly with oxidation.
@PBMichiganWolverine never knowing/tasting a Mezcal, I didn’t know what to expect. I need to compare against a bad Mezcal and midline Mezcal to get some perspective. It was quite good, but I just couldn’t squeeze out of it the same experiences all the others had.
This is going to be very different than tequila. It’s made from a really difficult to find (and grow) agave called Arroqueno. While tequila is made from blue agave, which is common and easy to grow. I think these only come as a hundred or so bottles /year, for that agave’s sustainability