Agave Type: Espadn Region: Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: Juan Jose Mendez Proof: 80 Proof, 40% ABV Tasting Notes: Delicate smoky flavor with sweet, flowery, spicy notes and a long finish. Details: Artisinally crafted in small-batches from 100% Agave Espadn. Double-distilled.

Agave Type: Espadn Region: Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: Juan Jose Mendez Proof: 80 Proof, 40% ABV Tasting Notes: Balanced and refined taste with floral, vanilla flavors and a hint of oak. Details: Artisinally crafted in small-batches from 100% Agave Espadn. Double-distilled, and aged for 8 months in new, lightly toasted American white oak barrel.

Agave Type: Espadn Region: Santiago Matatlan Maestro Mezcalero: Juan Jose Mendez Proof: 80 Proof, 40% ABV Tasting Notes: Layers of flavor, light spicy caramel sweetness. Details: Artisinally crafted in small-batches from 100% Agave Espadn. Double-distilled, and aged for 16 months in new, lightly toasted American white oak barrels.

Character, distinction, and beauty in one piece. Clase Azul Mezcal Durango is made from Cenizo Agave, an agave varietal that grows wild in the state of Durango in Northern Mexico. The combination of mineral-rich soil and water from natural springs give it a distinctive and smoky character with complex flavor notes.   The distillation process faithfully follows artisanal methods to create a unique profile and pays tribute to the ancient mezcal tradition. 

TASTING NOTES

COLOR: Bright crystalline with silver sparkles.

BODY: Medium.

AROMA: Citrus and herbal, green olive, cooked agave, and cloves.

FLAVOR: peanut, brown sugar, honey, wood, chocolate, and notes of ripe fruit.

PAIRING

> Fatty fish and shellfish (scallops, lobster, shrimp, octopus, salmon, tuna, and mahi mahi) cooked with sweet and sour sauces (tamarind and mango).

> Melba bread with avocado and aged cheeses (grana padano, parmesan, or pecorino romano).

> Ruby or white chocolate with salted nuts, mango, or citrus jam.

Agave Type: Espadn Region: Valles Centrales Maestro Mezcalero: Paciano Cruz Nolasco Proof: 87 Proof, 47% ABV Tasting Notes: Spicy, fruity and smoky, citrus, tropical fruits, peppercorn, herbaceous notes, smooth, creamy, and warming, clean finish. Details: Crafted from 7 to 8-year old agave Espadn, roasted with Mezquite, Quebrachi, and Huamuchil wood for 3-8 days. Crushed using a horse drawn tahona. open-vat fermentation. Distilled in a copper pot still.

Agave Type: Espadn Region: Valles Centrales Maestro Mezcalero: Faustino Garcia Vasquez Proof: 82 Proof, 46% ABV Tasting Notes: Medium nose, complex flavors, citrus. A long, smooth finish with overtones of mint. Details: Produced in a desert/tropical micro-climate at 5052 ft. Crafted from 7 to 8-year old agave Espadn, roasted with Mezquite, and oak wood for 4-5 days. Distilled in a copper pot still.

Agave Type: Arroqueo Region: Valles Centrales, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: FlorencioDon Lencho Laureano Carlos Sarmiento & Luis Carlos Vasquez Proof: 98 Proof, 49% ABV Tasting Notes: Luscious cantaloupe, baking chocolate, vegetal notes, reminiscent of fresh green beans, with savory medium to long finish. Details: Crafted from semi-wild agave Arroqueo, this limited edition expression is dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl. roasted in a conical pit over hot rocks, buried with earth for three days, open air fermentation, twice-distilled slowly in an ancient bamboo clay still method. Only 360 bottles made.

Agave Type: Madrecuixe Region: San Luis Del Rio, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: Paciano Cruz Nolasco Proof: 94 Proof, 47% ABV Tasting Notes: 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. Details: This special limited edition is crafted in the remote San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca. The wild, tall cylindrical Madrecuixes are matured for 10-15 years. Earth-roasted, open-air fermented, twice distilled,and unblended the original, centuries-old Oaxacan, hand- crafted way.

Agave Type: Tepextate Region: Sierra Norte, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: N/A Proof: 90 Proof, 45% ABV Tasting Notes: Candiedfruit on the nose, banana taffy, sugar.Passion fruit and marzipan, with a light cinnamonnote of canela (organic Mexican sugar). Floral notes of honeysuckle. Details: Crafted from wild Tepextate (agaveMarmorata) grown at a high altitude,almost vertical out of rocky mountainside.Crushed by a horse-drawn tahona. Distilled in a copper pot still.

The maguey Papalometl is named in Nahuatl for the butterfly (papalotl), Scientific name: agave Cupreata and looks like a giant Tobala. Distillation takes place in a stainless pot with a clay condensor and Carrizo (Mexican bamboo) tube. Earthy, dark and delicious. The nose is like sinking into a rich leather chair. A palate of leather, slate, a hint of black olive and meatiness. A medium long finish starting with slightly sweet notes of dark dried black cherries that gives way to an earthy, savory mushroom.

Wahaka mezcal is produced by an indigenous Zapotec family, who has perfected the art of making mezcal through many generations. The owner Alberto Morales is passionate about preserving the ancient traditions, and their mezcal is handmade using simple tools. Wahaka is uncompromising when it comes to its processes. The company has strict standards for sustainable farming, and holds USDA and Mayacert organic certificates. Each Wahaka Espadn is tended up to eight years by Alberto Morales and his team. They also replant wild agave through the not-for-profit Fundacin Agaves Silvestres, so the agaves can be harvested for generations to come. During the harvest, cortadores skillfully carve out the pias, which are immediately placed in earthen pits lined with rock to cook for up to five days. The process turns the starch in the pia to sugar, and adds the delicate taste of smoke. Once the pias are cooked and reach a golden caramel color, they are moved to the mill, which is gently pulled by a horse, crushing them to a pulp ready for fermenting. The fermentation takes place in open air oak vats, and, unlike for other distilled spirits where yeast strains are added, fermentation here happens naturally as a result of yeast in the air around the palenque. The spirit is distilled using copper and clay stills, and each batch is tested by Alberto Morales until impurities have been removed. Located in the rural village of San Dionisio Ocotepec in the second poorest state in Mexico, Oaxaca, Wahaka is committed not only to tradition and sustainable farming, but also to its community. They believe they have the responsibility to improve the lives of those they can. The company pays above market wage, and shares the success by helping to provide free healthcare, delivering toys to kids, and sponsoring the high school basketball team. Wahaka Mezcal Abocado con Gusano is the only aged mezcal in the Wahaka line. The double-distilled spirit is matured for 46 months in re-charred American oak barrels with agave worms, which adds a slightly smoother and delightfully caramel complexion to the premium mezcal. 

Agave Type: Espadin, Madre-Cuishe, and Tobal Region: San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: Alberto Morales Proof: 80 Proof, 40% ABV Tasting Notes: Floral aromas. Full bodied earthy elements, mineral and citrus notes. Details: A blend of agave Espadn (50%), Madre Cuishe (25%), and Tobal (25%) that are cooked, fermented, and Twice distilled in a copper pot still.

Agave Type: Madre-Cuishe Region: San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca Maestro Mezcalero: Alberto Morales Proof: 84 Proof, 42% ABV Tasting Notes: Subtly herbaceous, pepper, vibrant, refreshing notes. Savory elements, sweet molasses, minerality, earthy notes. Details: Crafted from wild 12-year-old Madre Cuishe. Twice distilled in a copper pot still.

Madre Mezcal is created at the Garcia Morales Ranch, nestled in the rolling hills of the Oaxacan Sierra. Produced by Jose Garcia Morales and his family, this blended mezcal is a traditional Zapotec recipe. Handmade in the hills of San Dionisio, Oaxaca, the family has been cultivating agave on their land in Oaxaca for centuries, creating high quality, small-batch artisanal mezcal. Madre Mezcal is distilled from agave Espadin and agave Cuishe using a family heirloom copper pot still. These agaves are roasted in an earthen pit, before being fermented with local well-water and wild mountain yeast. Madre has a hint of sweet smoke accentuated by earthy herbal notes of sage, and minerals on the palate, followed by a lingering floral finish. Agave Cuishe (or Cuixe) is a wild agave in the Karwinskii family that includes Madre-cuishe and Barril. It grows in a cylindrical, stalk-shaped pia, with leaves spreading at the top. It's often slightly smaller than Madre-cuishe, and yields intensely flavored mezcal with high minerality and spice notes.

Named after a dark, mystical owl represented in ancient Mexican folklore, El Buho Mezcal represents a new breed of agave spirits. Mezcal is often referred to as the grandfather of tequila because it's centuries older, but that's not completely accurate tequila is made from blue agave near Tequila, Mexico, while mezcal can be made from agave grown elsewhere in Mexico. El Buho Mezcal, made from agave grown in Oaxaca, Mexico the birthplace of mezcal is produced by a fifth-generation family of mezcal distillers. Near the El Buho farm in Oaxaca, espadin agave plants that are nearly a decade old are hand-selected by expert jimadors who determine exactly when each plant is perfectly ripened and ready to harvest.The hearts of the agave, or pias, are then slowly roasted in a stone pit fire between Oaxacan earth and local mesquite for an entire week, before they are crushed under a tahona (a stone mill). After the resulting mash is fermented, it is double pot distilled in the same alembic still that the first generation of El Buho Mezcal producers used. Crisp, smooth and incredibly inviting, El Buho is a mezcal without pretense. This El Buho is a limited release handcrafted in small batches by Octavio Jimenez Monterroza, with wild agave Cuishe sourced from San Pablo Huixtepec, Oaxaca.

Named after a dark, mystical owl represented in ancient Mexican folklore, El Buho Mezcal represents a new breed of agave spirits. Mezcal is often referred to as the grandfather of tequila because it's centuries older, but that's not completely accurate tequila is made from blue agave near Tequila, Mexico, while mezcal can be made from agave grown elsewhere in Mexico. El Buho Mezcal, made from agave grown in Oaxaca, Mexico the birthplace of mezcal is produced by a fifth-generation family of mezcal distillers. Near the El Buho farm in Oaxaca, espadin agave plants that are nearly a decade old are hand-selected by expert jimadors who determine exactly when each plant is perfectly ripened and ready to harvest. The hearts of the agave, or pias, are then slowly roasted in a stone pit fire between Oaxacan earth and local mesquite for an entire week, before they are crushed under a tahona (a stone mill). After the resulting mash is fermented, it is double pot distilled in the same alembic still that the first generation of El Buho Mezcal producers used. Crisp, smooth and incredibly approachable, El Buho is a mezcal without pretense. El Buho Tobala-Espadin is handcrafted by maestro mezcalero Octavio Jimnez Monterroza with 85% wild agave Tobala and 15% cultivated agave Espadin sourced from Santa Maria Zoquitlan, Oaxaca. The agaves are crushed traditionally with a tahona, fermented for nine days in pine vats, before being double distilled in a copper pot still. Aged in stainless steel tanks for six months this mezcal has signature notes of caramelized pineapple, sea salt, and buttery popcorn. 

Madre Mezcal is created at the Garcia Morales Ranch, nestled in the rolling hills of the Oaxacan Sierra. Produced by Jose Garcia Morales and his family, this blended mezcal is a traditional Zapotec recipe. Handmade in the hills of San Dionisio, Oaxaca, the family has been cultivating agave on their land in Oaxaca for centuries, creating high quality, small-batch artisanal mezcal. Madre Mezcal is distilled from agave Espadin and agave Cuishe using a family heirloom copper pot still. These agaves are roasted in an earthen pit, before being fermented with local well-water and wild mountain yeast. Madre has a hint of sweet smoke accentuated by earthy herbal notes of sage, and minerals on the palate, followed by a lingering floral finish. Agave Cuishe (or Cuixe) is a wild agave in the Karwinskii family that includes Madre-cuishe and Barril. It grows in a cylindrical, stalk-shaped pia, with leaves spreading at the top. It's often slightly smaller than Madre-cuishe, and yields intensely flavored mezcal with high minerality and spice notes. 

The non-governmental organization Mezonte is focused on promoting, supporting, and preserving the tradition and heritage of Mexican agave spirits. Led my mastermind, curator, and expert of everything agave Pedro Jimenez, they collaborate with various producers, featuring spirits from all over Mexico, especially Jalisco and Michoacn. These producers provide mezcal, raicilla, barranca, tuxca, sikua, and any other agave-based distillates. Whenever they purchase a batch from a local producer, it never exceeds 60% of the batch, as they strive to keep the spirits thriving in the community as well. Mezonte Raicilla Japo is made by Hildegardo "Japo" Joya in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. The Maestro Mezcalero has been producing the spirit for his whole life, meaning he has decades of experience under his belt. Everything is done the traditional way: The 12- to 25-year-old Amarillo agaves are harvested under the light of the full moon, they are cooked underground, hand-crushed with wooden mallets, and left to ferment in volcanic rock containers, before being distilled using a direct-fired copper still. Bottled at 94 proof, it's a beautiful Mexican spirit and a celebration of a rich distilling tradition.