Spirits

A very small batch mezcal from San Balthazar Guelavila, a small town in the district of Tlacolula, right next door to other well-known distilling communities. Don Gregorio “Goyo” Martinez’s Espadín grows at around 5,500 feet on very fertile soil, primarily of limestone. The agave is cooked in earthen oven, milled by stone tahona, and fermented in wooden tanks before being distilled twice in traditional copper pot stills. The mezcal is sweet with ripe tropical fruit, caramelized agave, Chinese five spice, and wet stone.

Made in Durango by a Oaxacan mezcalero on a high elevation estate full of wild agaves, sotols, and nopals. This uses maguey Cenizo, from around 6,300 ft above sea level. It’s a fascinating bottle that opens with a sweet nose that hints at the Cenizo funk. The palate is creamy chocolate, but still somehow a bit meaty (a combination of sweet and salty). Really a delightful mezcal.