DEL MAGUEY

Agave Type: Barril Region: Valles Centrales, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: Florencio Don Lencho Laureano Carlos Sarmiento. Proof: 98 Proof, 49 percent ABVTasting Notes: Spicy, floral carnation, tropical aromatics of gardenia and jasmine, ripe pear, dark fig, notes of wet green hay and forest floor. On the palate is caramel, round, soft, gentle, full-bodied notes. Roasted root vegetables, umami, terracotta, slate-like minerality and a touch of salinity.Details: made from semi-wild maguey Barril (the biggest of the Tobasiche, Madrecuishe, Cirial, Larga family). Roasted in a conical pit over hot rocks, buried under a cap of earth for three days, open-air fermentation for thirty days, double distilled with a bamboo clay still, the centuries-old Oaxacan organic, hand-crafted way.

The Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal Project was founded in 1995 by Ronald Cooper, an internationally renown artist and mezcalero. The project aims to identify and support independent mezcal producers in Mexico, who are bound by a common love for the land. "Through deep cultural relationships with Zapotec Mexican Indian producers in the remote villages of Oaxaca, Del Maguey harnesses ancient, original organic processes," says Cooper. Each mezcal belonging to the project is sourced from a unique region in Oaxacas Central Valley and represents a singularly exquisite expression of the villages terrior.Del Maguey Vida Mezcal is crafted from estate-grown agave, which are nearly a decade old and harvested by expert farmers with a special knife called a coa. Once the agave have been harvested, the heart of the plant, or pia, is removed and cooked for several days in a large, earthen pit lined with hot stones. This process caramelizes the pias natural sugars, and gives the pias a slightly smoky aroma and flavor profile. Then, the pias are crushed and fermented, before the remaining pulp is twice distilled through a small, wood-fired, riverside copper pot still. Following distillation, the mezcal is bottled at 84 proof.Del Maguey Vida Mezcal has an aroma of honey, vanilla, pineapple and citrus that gives way to notes of fresh herbs, earthy minerals, cinnamon, banana and tangerine on the palate. The finish is long and soft, with a touch of black pepper.The mezcal earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011. In addition it earned a score of 92 points at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in 2012, which named it the Best Mezcal in the World. It was also named one of the "Best Gift Ideas of 2014" by Esquire.Pick up a bottle today!