TASTING NOTES Standing out requires differentiation like never before. Take Del Maguey (delmaguey.com). One of the earliest mezcal brands to emerge, in the mid-1990s, it has brought crucial visibility to the category and a broad portfolio of single-village and varietal expressions that are eagerly snapped up by collectors. But there’s still so much to explore, according to Del Maguey’s director of brand education Éva Pelczer. “Mezcal means a lot of different things,” she says. “There’s an infi nite amount of fl avour profi les you can access based on who is making that mezcal, what their heritage and their culture is, and what agave they’re using. There really is this cornucopia of what is available.” Survey the shelf at a high-end bar or off licence and you’ll see what Pelczer means. The rows of mezcal bottles now display dozens of agave varieties, and names of villages and palenques (distilleries) that supply the liquid. On the back labels, you might fi nd a photo of the maestro mezcalero whose expert hand shaped the spirit, emphasising that, much like winemaking, the hand of the maker matters as much as the base ingredients. Eduardo and Julio Mestre, the brothers behind Los Siete Misterios (sietemisterios.com), understand that implicitly. They partner with ten families across multiple regions to distill their range of mezcals. Among the offerings are rare mezcals distilled in the ancestral method, using clay-pot stills. “It’s what makes us really unique since less than one per cent of total mezcal production is in clay,” Eduardo says. In recent years, Los Siete Misterios has begun blending some of its clay-pot mezcals, which are limited in volume, with its Doba-Yej expression, made in copper stills, stretching the precious liquid further so that more people can enjoy it. Unlike tequila’s singular weber varietal, mezcal has over two dozen agave options for its base ingredient. While espadín is most common, cuishe, tepeztate, arroqueño and tobalá get frequent play as well. Mal de Amor (maldeamor.com), made by third-generation maestro mezcalero Armando Hernandez, makes the most of this diversity with its wide array of mezcals. The brand’s range includes such rarities as Sierrudo and Jabali, each one a unique refl ection of Oaxacan terroir. Another rare agave, cenizo, goes into Bosscal mezcal (bosscal. com). The certifi ed-organic brand from Durango is one of the few to offer a pechuga mezcal. Distilled with meat – often chicken, turkey, or rabbit – spices, and fruit inside the still, pechuga is typically reserved for family celebrations, and rarely sold. With its emblem a conejo (rabbit) from a folktale, Bosscal cheekily makes its pechuga with rabbit meat, pineapple, guava and apples, resulting in an intensely fragrant and fl avourful spirit. Vegans wishing to avoid meaty mezcals could try Bosscal’s Damiana, infused with fl owers and citrus, or Gracias a Dios del Cura (thankgad.com). The unusual spirit, made by maestro mezcalero Oscar Hernández Santiago for his local priest, includes guava and pineapple, which impart tropical brightness onto the earthy base notes. Gracias a Dios makes a version with mango as well; both are perfect bases for a margarita or paloma, or simply for sipping on the rocks. No matter their journey’s direction, explorers of mezcal should stay curious. “Mezcal is not a sprint; it’s an ultramarathon,” Mestre says. “There are so many areas of knowledge and opportunity that we have to explore.” A GUARANTEE FOR THE FUTURE With such buoyant growth, the leading mezcal makers are focused on protecting the resources that created the category’s success in the first place. Many, like LOS SIETE MISTERIOS, BOSSCAL and GRACIAS A DIOS, practise sustainable cultivation that prioritises biodiversity in agave and the health of the wider ecosystem. Others reinvest profits into the communities that produce their spirits, building schools and libraries, and supporting vital services. With its deep roots and long history in the region, DEL MAGUEY takes an all-round approach that it calls 360-degree sustainability. “It means sustainability is not one thing,” Éva Pelczer says. “We’re not just talking about environmental … but also cultural and economic sustainability.” That means providing medical care, undertaking reforestation of both agaves and trees (used as fuel in the production process), donating computers for education, preserving indigenous language and more, all organised in partnership with respected NGOs. As mezcal continues its upward trajectory, these issues will become more important than ever – one more thing for mezcal drinkers to consider as they explore the category’s diversity. COURTESY THE COMPANIES 80 NetJets
