BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

BUYING I GUIDE
Spirits
MEZCAL SMOKE AND SPICE
W
hat’s in the box?” asked the woman on
the train, unable to resist the “adults
only” sticker on the side of the case.
“Mezcal,” I replied. “Oh,” she said,
nodding. “The drink with the worm.”
“The worm” is all many know about mezcal
(sometimes spelled as “mescal”). It’s not a wellknown
or a well-loved spirit. For those accustomed
to the smooth tones of Scotch or the
sweetness of liqueurs, the rough-and-tumble
nature of mezcal can be disarming.
But the notoriously smoky, spicy agave-based
liquid is slowly finding fans, as bartenders have
been mixing it into drinks and promoting mezcal
to adventurous imbibers right alongside its cousin
Tequila.
Like Tequila, mezcal is a Mexican distillate of
the agave plant, although it’s specifically made in
one of the seven mezcal-producing states in Mexico,
the best-known of which is Oaxaca. While
mezcal can be made from any number of varieties
of agave, the vast proportion uses the espadin
agave. The agave pina (heart) is also usually
94
Chichicapa Cask (Del Maguey, Ltd.
Co., Oaxaca, Mexico); 47.8% abv,
$NA. If “sipping mezcal” doesn’t exist, the category
may have to be created for this limited-edition
mezcal (only 14 three-bottle sets were
produced). This “single village” mezcal is aged
for 14 years in glass bottles and then is finished
in a Stags Leap Cabernet barrel for 43 days. The
result is a light nut-brown color and offers beautiful
aromas of raisin, vanilla and dark chocolate,
with a mellow pepper note in the background.
Sweet agave nectar and honey flavors finish with
a muted peppery sting.
92
San Luis del Rio (Del Maguey, Ltd.
Co., Oaxaca, Mexico); 48.3% abv,
$70. A classic unaged mezcal: clear, with fresh,
grassy aromas of green chile pepper and a slight
whiff of smoke. The flavors reflect sweet and fruity,
then spicy and smoky, finishing with spicy anise and
alcohol burn. A fine base for a citrusy cocktail.
91
Crema de Mezcal (Del Maguey,
Ltd. Co., Oaxaca, Mexico); 40.3%
abv, $45. Mezcal with agave syrup turns out to
be lovely and drinkable. Despite the smoky, spicy,
roasted in stone pits, giving it a smoky character.
Which brings us to the delightfully diverse flavors
found in mezcal. Sometimes, the agave lends
a faint honey-like sweetness. But most often,
smoke and an exciting, peppery spice are the
dominant flavors. However, the expression can be
mellowed with age, and just as with Tequila, mezcal
is found in silver/joven (young), gold/reposado
(rested, or slightly aged) and anejo (aged) varieties.
As a result, some older mezcals have oakinspired
vanilla or caramel tones reminiscent of
barrel-aged whiskies.
And as for the worm? Forget about it.
Allegedly, worms once were used to help draw out
impurities from the spirit—a function now performed
much more effectively by the distillation
process. And should you find one, consuming it
won’t make for hallucinations, since the agave
plant is not related to the peyote cactus, the
source of the hallucinatory drug mescaline. Sorry
to debunk that colorful myth, but that’s just the
way the worm turns.
vegetal, and only faintly caramel aromas, the flavor
is surprisingly sweet. Deep raisin and honey/agave
nectar notes give way to a lively clove and
pepper finish. Light straw color, viscous feel,
medium body.
90
Sombra (Sombra, Oaxaca, Mexico);
45% abv, $45. Beneath an edgy
Hell’s Angel-esque black-and-silver label, the clear
liquid gives off aromas of jalapeno, green bell pepper
and a sun-warmed savory-sweetness that hints
at ripe tomatoes. A slightly sweet flavor quickly
gives way to a pleasant hot pepper singe and just
enough alcohol for balance. Silky feel on the
tongue, medium body. Outstanding for a Bloody
Mary or other tomato-based cocktail.
89
Santo Domingo Albarradas (Del
Maguey, Ltd. Co., Oaxaca, Mex-
ico); 49.1% abv, $70. Another single-village
mezcal from Del Maguey. This crystal-clear mezcal
has not much aroma, just a spicy scent which
later opens up to a faint, grassy sweetness. Vegetal,
grassy, slightly sweet flavors finish dry and
pleasant, with just a little spice. Light body,
unctuous feel.
7 6 | W I N E E N T H U S I A S T | D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 0
—KARA NEWMAN
THE WINE ENTHUSIAST
SPIRITS BUYING GUIDE
The Spirits Buying Guide is a summary of recent
detailed evaluations and product ratings of a single
reviewer, Spirits Reviewer Kara Newman. Every tasting
note is accompanied by a rating. Also noted are the full
name of the product, its alcoholic strength expressed as
percent alcohol by volume, the producer’s name, and
the suggested U.S. retail price. If the price cannot be
confirmed, an $NA (not available) will be printed. Prices
are for 750-ml bottle unless otherwise indicated.
TASTING METHODOLOGY AND GOALS
Tastings are conducted individually in a controlled tasting
environment. Spirits are tasted alone; no formal
reviews are ever conducted in the presence of any producer
or industry representative. Samples are tasted
blind in flights of no more than six to eight products.
Price is not a factor in the evaluation.
ABOUT THE SCORES
Beyond the rating, we encourage you to read the accompanying
tasting note to learn about each spirit’s special
characteristics. The numerical ratings correspond to
quality in the following manner:
Classic 98–100: The pinnacle of quality.
Superb 94–97: A great achievement.
Excellent 90–93: Highly recommended.
Very Good 87–89: Often good value; well recommended.
Good 83–86: Suitable for everyday consumption;
often good value.
Acceptable 80–82: Can be employed in casual, lesscritical
circumstances.
Spirits receiving a rating below 80 are not reviewed.
Certain spirits are designated as Best Buys. Spirits earning
this designation offer a high level of quality in relation
to price. There are no specific guidelines or
formulae for determining Best Buys.
SUBMITTING SPIRITS FOR REVIEW
Spirits should be submitted to the following reviewing
location: Kara Newman c/o 36 West 20th St, 3rd
Floor, New York, NY, 10011. Inquiries should
be addressed to Spirits Reviewer Kara Newman at
spirits@WineEnthusiast.net. There is no charge for
submitting spirits, and Wine Enthusiast will make
every effort to sample all spirits submitted for review.
There is, however, no guarantee that all submissions will
be tasted, or that reviews will appear in the magazine. All
submissions must be accompanied by a submission form,
which may be downloaded from our website. Please be
sure to check the spirits tasting schedule prior to submitting
samples.
LABELS
Labels are paid promotions. Producers and their
representatives are given the opportunity to submit
labels, which are reproduced and printed along
with tasting notes and scores. For information on
label purchases, contact Denise Valenza by phone at
813.571.1122; by fax at 866.896.8786; or email
dvalenza@wineenthusiast.net.
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