Rustic and refined, revealing bright floral aromatics with notes of caramelized agave, leather and soft smoke that lend structure to ripe, cooked yam fruit flavors. A supple mouthfeel delivers quince, persimmon, lemon verbena and kaffir, juxtaposed with layered chocolate, espresso and savory spice with balanced minerality and savory roast characteristics.

6/750 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94609-2
SCC Code: 1-06-18115-94609-9

6/375 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code:6-18115-94309-1
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94309-9

Soft smoke with candied notes and a creamy mouthfeel layer fruit and a subtle spice on a palette of rich, cooked agave… reminiscent of the high desert just after a heavy rainfall, bright and clean.

6/750 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94610-8
SCC Code: 1-06-18115-94610-5

6/375 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code:6-18115-94310-7
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94310-5

On the nose, there is candied lime, soft white flowers, with more vegetal notes of bell pepper and cucumber skin along with hints of nuts, soft pastry, and a very lightly-charred wood, supported by a back note of minerality.

The flavors continue in the same vein, tasting of grilled lemon & lime, sun-baked white flowers, bell peppers, persimmon, squash blossoms, charred oak, and minerals. These flavors are intricately balanced and deliciously perplexing, hinting at matcha tea and persist in a delicate fade that savors grilled fruit nuances.

6/750 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94611-5
SCC Code: 1-06-18115-94611-2

6/375 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code:6-18115-94311-4
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94311-2

On the nose, there are aromas of summer stonefruit, soft tea rose, and toasted red chiles peppers. The exotic tastes of Earl Grey tea, dried orange peel, candied mango, cinnamon, and faint woodiness lead to a smooth, jammy finish with a lingering hint of black licorice.

Nose

Rich aromas of roast agave, oceanic salt spray, with notes of lactic fermentation.

Taste

This ensemble is like the bass section of the orchestra. It opens with a rumbling timpani then bursts of mineral highlights. In the background there are always these brooding flavors from the woody Bicuishe which are subsumed in the sweet minerality of the Tobala. This play of flavors make you sit and contemplate but there’s a real tension because the mezcal is so restrained that you’re always expecting something else to happen.

Method / Background Notes

Like its relative, the karwinsii ensemble, this one is an argument for a different form of ensemble. You rarely see this sort of combination, perhaps because it’s such a balancing act, and this label is a demonstration of possibility. The match of these two agaves with clay pot distillation is made in celestial places, it’s one of the more intellectual mezcals out there exactly because it makes you think.

Mezcalistas

6/750 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94603-0
SCC Code: -06-18115-94603-7

6/375 ml
Proof: 94 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code: 6-18115-94303-9
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94303-7

There are alluring aromas of pastry being prepared: wild honey, green apple peel, tart cider, fragrant pear, and white grapes. The palate offers pure, bright sweetness, green herbs, and overripe nectarine, with a medium-length, smooth finish.

Nose

There’s a touch of that distinctive lactic fermentation like pickle juice amidst the looming richness of roast agave.

Taste

It’s like Dorothy’s shoes in the Wizard of Oz, sparkling goodness that fills your mouth and resolves into a true ensemble of flavor. It’s hard to pull the agaves apart because this is one unfettered whole, a real union of thought and action. And, it leaves your mouth feeling like the antitheses of those toothpaste ads – sparkling, fresh, full of flavor!

Method / Background Notes

Don Amado is one of the standard bearers of mezcal in Santa Catarina Minas which is justly renown for its traditional distillation technique en barro – clay pots. This style of ensemble features just local karwinskiis, there isn’t an espadín to anchor it all, which makes it something to seek out.

The flavors speak for themselves but the process is all the more interesting because it’s distilled up to 53% ABV then brought down to 46% with distilled water. Some people look askance at this technique but it’s widely used and it excludes tails which may or may not have something to do with the CRM’s regulations on methanol. Whatever the reason, it’s a demonstration of the quality and identity that can be achieved by someone like Germaín Arellanes Arellanes who knows what he’s doing.

Mezcalistas

6/750 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94602-3
SCC Code: -06-18115-94602-0

6/375 ml
Proof: 92 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code: 6-18115-94302-2
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94302-0

A treasure of complexity that exhibits rich, bright fruit notes, roasted nuts, dark baking spice, wafting hints of clean smoke, fresh cinnamon and stone fruits. Mature agave flavors are woven throughout and yet never overwhelm, maintaining symmetry, balance and depth, on through to a delicate finish of broad, exotic flavors and lingering tropical nuance in this pechuga.

6/750 ml
Proof: 90 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94608-5
SCC Code: 1-06-18115-94608-2

6/375 ml
Proof: 90 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code: 6-18115-94308-4
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94308-2

Its aromas and tastes are very familiar Mexican flavors: roasted corn slathered in butter, hints of vanilla and cinnamon, tropical fruit like dragonfruit, and dried chilies with a moderate amount of smoke. The flavors of barrel-aging contribute spicier and more vanilla-driven notes.

6/750 ml
Proof: 90 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code:  6-18115-94607-8
SCC Code: 1-06-18115-94607-5

6/375 ml
Proof: 90 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code: 6-18115-94307-7
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94307-5

This is truly a regal take on what many consider to be a rustic product. There are savory, mesquite aromas that hint at a backyard barbecue and toasted cayenne pepper, but these flavors flow deftly between layers of succulent tones of baked stonefruit from the strong brandy barrel influence. The palate continues in similar form with with notes of grilled pineapple and finish with a bright saline minerality for a long, refreshing coda. A mezcal that shows amazing complexity beyond smoke and a great example how barrel flavors can compliment rather than mask agave’s wild charms.

6/750 ml
Proof: 87 Proof
Case Weight: 24 lbs
Case Dimensions: 12.5″ L x 9.5″ W x 11.5″ H
Cases per Pallet: 88; 4 tiers of 22 cases each
UPC Code: 6-18115-94605-4
SCC Code: 1-06-18115-94605-1

6/375 ml
Proof: 87 Proof
Case Weight: 23.8
Case Dimensions: 12″L x 9″W x 11″H
UPC Code: 6-18115-94305-3
SCC Code: 1-12-18115-94305-1