Del Maguey Madrecuixe San Luis del Rio Single Village Mezcal (750ml)

Another special limited edition from Del Maguey's 'Vino De Mezcal' series is this Madrecuixe Mezcal, made in lush, remote San Luis del Rio where the Red Ant river flows. Madrecuixe is a wild and tall cylindrical maguey like Tobasiche with leaves that grow from the ground up as opposed to Tobasiche that sheds its lower leaves as it grows leaving a bare cylindrical piña. Paciano Cruz Nolasco and Marcos Cruz Mendez harvest mature Madrecuixes at around 10-15 years of age. The pinas are earth-roasted for 3-8 days, fermented with airborne microbes then twice distilled before brief ageing in vessels made from Mezquite, Quebrachi and / or Huamuchil wood.

Notes from Del Maguey... Banana leaf, green papaya, just-mown alfalfa, tarragon and fresh cut bamboo, give way to circus peanuts and sweet, fresh-forward tropical fruits of mango, pineapple and chicozapote. This extremely rare wild mezcal is silky, elegant, medium-bodied, with a long, dry, clean, dusty finish. 47% Alc./vol.

96 points - Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2016