Page 72 - IWSC Tasting Guide 2017

Spirits focus
Is mezcal knocking tequila off its perch?
Artisan spirit shines at the IWSC
The big spirits story at the IWSC this year is
not gin – even though that continues to defy
gravity in its popularity – it’s mezcal.
Top Mezcal and Tequila medal winners from the IWSC
Corte Vetusto Mezcal Espadin Producer: Black Sheep Spirits Limited Tas ng Category: Mezcal - 100% Agave
- Joven
Tas ng notes: Clear complexion. Meaty, savoury and broad on the nose with a delicious smoky, earthy, complex backdrop. Peppery, weighty and textural in the mouth with a lively interplay of smoke and agave leading in to a lingering finish.
By Adam Lechmere
Mezcal has long been considered a poor rela on of tequila – not for quality reasons, but simply because tequila
is produced in vast quan es, its brands (like Patron and José Cuervo) highly visible.
Mezcal produc on, with dis llers producing small batches from many different varie es of the agave plant, is on a far
more ar san level. While the vast majority
of mezcals are produced from the espadin agave, there are dozens of permi ed varie es – nobody seems to know quite how many but most agree there are more than 30.
Now mezcals produced from such agaves as madrecuixe and tepeztate, and tobala, are becoming more visible, though s ll produced in ny quan es.
Tequila on the other hand is produced only from the blue agave. Experts use a wine analogy to point out the difference: if tequila is chardonnay, mezcal is every other white grape variety.
Because of its ar sanal nature and because it’s possible to dis nguish between the different plants and the different villages where mezcal is produced, the cognoscen – cheerled by barmen and mixologists – can’t get enough of it.
“Sales are doubling every year,” Dawn Davies of The Whisky Exchange, which carries 80 mezcals, told World Travel Guide. “It’s more like wine in terms of the varie es and styles available. It’s got a sense of place. Barmen love it.”
David Shepherd, who has won the Mezcal Trophy at the IWSC for his Corte Vetusto
Mezcal Espadin, says “Mezcal is too far below the sales companies’ radar. It’s niche. It’s about 2% of tequila sales – but it’s coming out of the darkness. It’s made that transi on from bartender’s secret to being requested by consumers.”
Corte Vetusto (which means “ancient cut” – mezcal is the oldest spirit in the Americas, Shepherd says) was made in quan es
of about 1000 bo les. It comes from the Espadin agave, which takes seven to nine years to reach maturity. “There are about
30 other agaves you can use, some of which can take 35 years to mature. It’s very slow process.”
Ar san mezcal producers stress the naturalness of their product. Corte Vetusto for example is fermented only with
natural airborne yeasts, which makes the fermenta on less predictable and enhances the differences between batches.
While mezcal is on a steep upward trend, tequila remains hugely popular, especially for aged and wood-matured styles. At the entry level, tequila may be produced in industrial quan es – and be a staple of testosterone- heavy drinking sessions – but at the top end it is a highly sophis cated spirit.
The IWSC has had its first wood-aged tequilas this year, and the extra añejo style is being seen more and more in premium bars. This is the top level, introduced officially in 2006. The five levels of tequila are blanco (unaged tequila), joven or gold (with colorant added); reposado (aged in stainless steel or oak for up to 11 months), añejo (minimum one year in oak), and extra añejo (three years or more in oak). ●
El Señorio Mezcal Reposado Producer: Para Todo Mal Mezcal Tas ng Category: Mezcal - 100% Agave
- Reposado
Tas ng notes: Mid-gold in colour. An impressively bold and oaky nose delivers aromas of vanilla, spice, smoke - yet background notes of agave are s ll forceful enough to be heard. Big in the mouth with lavish oak impar ng a sweet edge to the earthy, saline, backbone of flavour. A well-constructed product, which manages oak well.
Las Garrafas de Oaxaca, Serpiente Rosada Producer: Des lados de
Alambique SA de CV
Tas ng Category: Mezcal - 100% Agave - Joven Tas ng notes: Incredibly clean, direct, focussed
and expressive on the nose, laser-precise aromas of fresh agave, tropical fruit and smoke come forth on a deligh ully pure nose. Weighty, flavoursome, complex, fresh and structured on the nose; this mezcal has it all. A superb example, which reveals different aspects with each sip. Brilliantly cra ed, this cks all the boxes.
Sierra Milenario Tequila Reposado
Producer: Borco Interna onal GmbH
Tas ng Category: Tequila - 100% Agave - Reposado - 38-55%
Tas ng notes: Mid gold in colour. Overtly earthy and vegetal on the nose with a broadness and savoury character. Weighty and mouthfilling with a rich and savoury profile which suggests notes of chocolate, coffee, roast vegetables and dried fruit. Refined, smooth and complete on the finish.
72
IWSC Tasting Guide 2017