Del Maguey San Luis Del Rio Azul Mezcal

* My bottle: From Lot SLR 125. Nose: Citrus fruits, nail polish remover, denatured alcohol, white pepper. Herbal notes and a faint sandalwood incense aroma. In the background, a tiny bit 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 chili notes. There's a definite earthy herbal quality. The palate has a somewhat acidic nature. 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 type of mezcal, but there is also a methanol character to the nose that borders on concerning. I'm not experienced enough to know if this is a characteristic aroma of blue agave when prepared in the mezcal style, or if it's just due to a wide cut in the second distillation, especially at the beginning (it certainly smells a bit "heady"). It's a dry aperitif style of mezcal, but adding a little water softens it considerably. Definitely worth trying; it certainly has that Del Maguey "artisan" profile, but it's not at the top of the Del Maguey list by any means (though that still places it above many other mezcals). "Above Average": 81/100 (3 stars)

A refined, Joven Agave spirit from Mezcalero: Marcos Cruz Mendez & Paciano Cruz Nolasco for Del Maguey Mezcal NOM-O41X in San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca, Mexico crafted with Maguey Azul & spring water in a copper still. It possesses an aromatic beginning with hints of citrus, tropical fruits, herbs & spices; while a full development adds notes of white peppercorn, clove, agave, orange zest, mint & anise; which culminated in a creamy finish of medium duration with notes of wet stone, copper, sea spray & smoke. November 2021.

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