Mexican mezcal (or mescal) is among the most fascinating spirits round. It is a really artisanal product, earlier than that time period turned modern. It is made in small batches, largely in one-person or family-run distilleries, with provides usually going no additional than the native city or village.
The aroma and style mostly related to mezcals is smoky, in the identical approach that Islay whiskies are famend for his or her smoky or peaty notes. When you like peaty whiskies, there are going to be many mezcals that additionally, you will take pleasure in, and one of the simplest ways to explain mezcal to somebody who hasn’t tried it’s someplace alongside a spectrum between {smooth} tequila and smoky whisky.
Most mezcals are made to be drunk instantly, and are often called joven, i.e. younger or unaged, although they are often aged for as much as two months. A reposado has been aged from 2-12 months, and an aňejo for no less than a 12 months, however usually extra. They are typically bottled at 40-50% ABV however will be even stronger. As soon as you have invested in a bottle, our high 10 mezcal cocktail recipes will assist you take advantage of this distinctive spirit.
As a result of mezcals are made in small portions utilizing conventional methods that aren’t all the time essentially the most environment friendly, they continue to be each elusive and costly. That is all of the extra cause to decide on properly, if attempting them out. Our drinks specialists Mike and Richard have examined greater than 25 mezcals to pick out their high 10 favourites under. These cowl a variety of types, from younger to smoky to flavoured, and a variety of costs between £36-£75, to discover a mezcal to swimsuit everybody.
Learn on to find our choose of the perfect mezcal. For extra, go to our critiques part and discover taste-tests for pisco, gin, vodka, rum and extra.
1o finest mezcals at a look
- Greatest total mezcal: Ilegal Reposado Mezcal, £58.10
- Greatest younger mezcal: QuiQuiRiQui mezcal, £36.29
- Greatest smoky mezcal: Corte Vetusto Espadín Mezcal, £58.95
- Greatest flavoured mezcal: Harmful Don espresso mezcal, £59.99
- Greatest luxurious mezcal: Del Maguey Chichicapa, £73.94
- Greatest candy mezcal: Del Maguey Cream de Mezcal, £46.90
- Greatest non-smoky mezcal: Bruxo X, £43
- Greatest artisan mezcal: Pensador Espadín, £32.95
- Greatest for locating new mezcals: Sin Gusano, De Horno – San Jose Rio Minas, £60.99
- Greatest regional mezcal: Derrumbes Oaxaca, £49.48
What’s mezcal?
So, what’s mezcal? Nicely, let’s begin with what it is not. It has nothing to do with mescaline, the drug produced from a cactus plant, as mezcal is produced from the agave plant, which is a succulent and never a cactus.
Neither is mezcal the drink with a worm in it. This ‘custom’ started within the Fifties as a advertising and marketing gimmick by one model and was copied by others. Not one of the 25 mezcals sampled by BBC Good Meals has been anyplace close to a worm.
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As tequila is produced from the blue agave plant, it’s a kind of mezcal, however it has guidelines and a class of its personal. Most tequila is made within the state of Jalisco, and most mezcal is made in Oaxaca, although a number of different states are additionally official mezcal-producing states as outlined by Mexican authorities rules.
There are over 200 several types of agave plant, although solely 30-40 of them are appropriate for making mezcal. The one mostly used is Oaxaca’s most typical agave, the espadin, which is utilized in about 90% of mezcals and does make a really smooth-tasting drink. Others embody tobala, tepeztate, madrecuixe, and arroqueño.
Greatest mezcal to purchase 2022
Ilegal Mezcal Reposado
Greatest total mezcal
ABV: 40%
In Mexico they like their tequila reposado, or rested and aged in barrels, however like their mezcals younger and unaged. That is an distinctive reposado from one of many main manufacturers within the UK, with a straw-like color to it from resting for 4 months in American oak barrels. There’s a odor of straw too, and a extra earthy style with a splash of spice.
Learn our full overview of Ilegal Mezcal Reposado
Obtainable from:
Amazon (£58.10)
The Whisky Trade (£59.95)
Grasp of Malt (£58.10)
QuiQuiRiQui mezcal
Greatest younger mezcal
ABV: 45%
QuiQuiRiQui proves that the commonest agave plant, the espadin, can produce excellent mezcal with none ageing in any respect. The nostril is wealthy and buttery, like an excellent chardonnay, however with a vanilla sweetness and several other different scents wafting round, whereas on the palate it’s equally complicated and satisfying.
Learn our full overview of QuiQuiRiQui
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Corte Vetusto Espadín mezcal
Greatest smoky mezcal
ABV: 45%
Corte Vetusto cooks its agave for 4 days utilizing mesquite wooden, to reinforce the smoky flavour and provides an additional style of Mexico. It gives a whisky-like aroma, with hints of vanilla and pear, whereas on the palate there’s extra vanilla, extra fruit, and a fully-rounded mouth-feel resulting in a {smooth} end. It received a Gold Medal within the 2017 San Francisco Worldwide Wine and Spirits Competitors.
Learn our full overview of Corte Vetusto Espadín
Obtainable from:
Harmful Don espresso mezcal
Greatest flavoured mezcal
ABV: 48%
Flavoured mezcals are uncommon however this one, steeped in espresso beans, is an absolute winner. The natural espresso beans come from the Oaxaca coast and are launched to the mezcal between its second and third distillation, producing a spirit that is not really over-rich in espresso however filled with flavours like chocolate, nuts, citrus, and the scent of an autumnal bonfire.
Learn our full overview of Harmful Don
Obtainable from:
Del Maguey Chichicapa
Greatest luxurious mezcal
ABV: 46%
Del Maguey has proved to be one of the crucial dependable manufacturers, and a really early mezcal promoter. This one from the city of San Balthazar Chichicapa makes use of 100% espadin agave and cooks them utilizing a wide range of woods, together with eucalyptus. The result is a mezcal that has a mixture of vegetal and candy notes on the nostril, and an earthy and peppery flavour.
Learn our full overview of Del Maguey Chichicapa
Obtainable from:
Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal
Greatest candy mezcal
ABV: 40%
When you’ve got a candy tooth, Del Maguey’s Crema de Mezcal will indulge it, as a splash of agave syrup has been added to the bottom spirit. This has produced a mezcal with barely extra vanilla and honeyed sweetness than common, however balanced with some smokiness on the nostril and palate. It is the proper introduction for the mezcal novice.
Learn our full overview of Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal
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Bruxo X
Greatest non-smoky mezcal
ABV: 40%
This mix of two agaves, espadin and barril, has produced a non-smoky mezcal that is superb for anybody who doesn’t take care of an excessive amount of smokiness. It is a crystal-clear mezcal, with a nostril that gives each candy and savoury aromas, together with the same old earthiness, whereas the style brings in honey, caramel and a splash of peppery spice.
Learn our full overview of Bruxo X
Obtainable from:
Pensador Espadín
Greatest artisan mezcal
ABV: 47.5%
Based by a Londoner who was so overwhelmed by the expertise of attempting high-quality mezcal on a visit to Mexico Metropolis in 2015, he spent the following two months touring the areas it is produced in. Quickly after his return, he’d booked tickets again to Oaxaca intent on making the connections that might permit him to import the sort of mezcal that had so wowed him.
Small batches, coping with the producers as a collective and holding the method sustainable is essential to the Pensador enterprise ethos, and from it springs their Espadin bottling. The nostril trails calmly mineral notes alongside a recent inexperienced natural ingredient, some honey sweetness and woodsmoke. This grows on the palate, with a full mouthfeel contrasting with the brisker components, earlier than the smoke bridges to a dry end. Complicated, however approachable.
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Sin Gusano, De Horno – San Jose Rio Minas
Greatest for locating new mezcals
ABV: 49.1%
Explicitly based on the rules of sustainable improvement, Sin Gusano (“with out the worm”) is a ardour venture for founder Jon Darby. He spends an enormous period of time looking for out unbiased producers and sourcing batches that spotlight the large vary and variety of mezcal. Licensed carbon-neutral, and donating 10% of their income to charity, Sin Gusano additionally run the Mezcal Appreciation Society, a subscription service that permits drinkers to style an ever-changing sequence of artisanal mezcal, with a deep dive into each’s heritage alongside.
The most recent present launch highlights a producer from a distant neighborhood in western Oaxaca, and the nostril has a distinction of the earthy and floral, with ripe melon, pear, smashed cucumber juiciness and pale fudge sweetness. The palate is stuffed with peppery inexperienced herbs, creamy citrus, a light-weight salinity and fragrant smoke on the finish.
Obtainable from:
Sin Gusano, £60.99
Derrumbes Oaxaca
Greatest regional mezcal
ABV: 48%
Derrumbes bottle a variety of mezcals, every specializing in a particular area, with an eye fixed to highlighting the unbelievable biodiversity that marks out the potential of mezcal to a lot of its adherents. The Oaxaca bottling focuses, naturally, on a spirit that exhibits the central valleys of Oaxaca to good benefit. Produced in Santiago Matatlán.
A mix of Espadin and Tobala agave, this has a light-weight smokiness on the nostril, with an accompanying minerality, and a few jasmine and agave sweetness opening up a minty natural edge. It sips barely lighter than anticipated however continues to be full-bodied, with citrus fruitiness, a little bit of leather-based and an enormous pepper hit earlier than the smoke returns to see you thru to the end.
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How is mezcal made?
Mezcal distilleries are known as fábricas or, extra generally, palenques. The agaves are introduced right here, and the leaves and roots eliminated to go away simply the center, or piña. The piñas are then cooked for a number of days, often in underground ovens, earlier than being crushed, historically underneath a stone wheel that is pulled by a horse.
The mash this produces is then fermented, adopted by two distillations, as with tequila. Herbs and spices will be added at each the fermentation and distillation levels, which is another excuse mezcals have refined variations.
This overview was final up to date in October 2022. When you’ve got any questions or ideas for future critiques, or spot something that has modified in value or availability, please get in contact at goodfoodwebsite@speedy.co.uk. For data on alcohol tips, learn our information to consuming responsibly.
Have you ever tried a mezcal that you could possibly advocate? Depart a remark under.
