Ilegal Mezcal Joven

Desperate for a good agave-based spirit to stock at his bar (Caf No Se) in Antigua, John Rexer began smuggling artisanal mezcal from Mexico to Guatemala using banditos, river rafts, bribes, disguises, and late night drop points. As word spread about Rexers illegal mezcal, travelers and tourists, journalists and photographers and lawyers and businessmen began patronizing Rexers bar and smuggling the mezcal from Guatemala back to the United States. Simply put, Ilegal Mezcal began as an illegal pursuit to stock Caf No Se with some of the finest spirits being distilled in Mexico.Today, the journey of Ilegal Mezcal begins in the agave fields of Tlacolula, Mexico. There, under the watchful eye of master distiller Eric Hernandez, expert mezcaleros harvest agave plants that are nearly a decade old and have reached their peak of maturity. After the agave have been harvested, the hearts of the agave, or pias, are transported to Hernandezs distillery.At the distillery, the pias are cooked in a pit oven for approximately five days. The oven is heated by a wood furnace dug below the pit, and kindled with oak, mesquite and eucalyptus (this gives the mezcal its signature, smoky flavor). After the pias have been cooked, they are chopped into smaller pieces and finally crushed to a mash by a tahona, a stone mill drawn by a horse (Hernandezs horse is named Caballo Sin Nombre, which means "a horse with no name"). The mash is then fermented for up to two weeks by airborne yeasts before it is distilled twice, first through small, stainless steel alembic stills and then again through copper alembic stills.Ilegal Mezcal Joven is unaged and has notes of sweet agave, eucalyptus and minerals, complimented a light floral note. The notes of rich agave are well-balanced with hints of pear, apples and citrus, and are followed by a long finish.Each Ilegal Mezcal is certified by COMERCAM (Mexicos regulatory body for mezcal) as being produced naturally the only ingredients in the mezcal are 100 percent wild espadn agave, Oaxacan sun, water and time."Mezcal is very small, very artisanal," says Rexer. "You can taste the difference from village to village, because of the water, because of whether the agave are processed in a clay pot or a copper pot. Its handcrafted."Try this handcrafted mezcal today!