Mezcal Festival Day 6: Ilegal Joven, 40%

Posted on 14 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The last of my mezcal collection until yesterday. Yesterday the five new mezcals for the second bottle share came in, but I’m going to do some whiskies again before reviewing those.

Anyway, this one is one I bought from The Whisky Exchange in one the latest bigger booze hauls, with a couple of mates. It might be a bit before this happens again since the exchange rate is currently at a staggering 1.42 Euros for a Pound. This makes booze from the United Kingdom ridiculously expensive. To think that it was almost one to one about five years ago.

The Ilegal comes from illegality. The initial releases of the company were for a restaurant in Guatamala and illegally hauled from Mexico. It became popular and was made into a legal brand with a slightly contraband feel to it. A thin layer of wax to seal the bottle, a nice label made to look like it’s a random scrap of paper attached to the bottle.

The story is nicer than the look of it. As in, if the bottle looks like contraband, it’s bloody fancy contraband. If you regard the bottle without the story, it’s quite nice, though.

Sniff:
There’s agave and lemon peel or lemon oil. There’s a very light smoke to it and a strong hint of earthy scents. Lightly herbaceous like thyme. After a while the earthy notes take over with hints of straw, mushrooms and wet dirt.

Sip:
The palate is ‘green’. Flavors of plants, straw and agave. Some hints of cactus with a light smokiness again. It’s a bit thin and flat on the palate though.

Swallow:
The finish is sharper with more smoke. The feeling of smoke, like when you’re next to a bonfire and inhale smoke too deeply. It lacks that flavor though. Agave, cactus and the herbal flavor again.

On TWE’s website it was described as having a hollow palate, which I didn’t understand and I asked Billy what he meant. He said it would do well in a cocktail if you knew how to fill the lack of flavor in the middle. If, by that, he means that it sort of falls flat on the palate, he’s right.

It’s a nice enough drink, but for the money you spend on it I would instantly pick Del Maguey’s Vida over this. More so because this is only half a liter and that makes it a fairly expensive mezcal, that doesn’t all what you hope it does.

Mezcal Ilegal Joven, 40%, 50cl, available at The Whisky Exchange for £ 33.95

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Mezcal Festival Day 5: Minero, Del Maguey, 49%

Posted on 13 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The fourth and last mezcal from the bottle-share, the first one, is the ‘Minero’. The mezcal is produced in Santa Catarina Minas, a couple of miles south of Oaxaca.

A clay still

A clay still

I was pondering how to write an introduction for this one when I found a very interesting bit of trivia on the website of Del Maguey. Apart from this distillery being very well organized, they don’t distill in the more common copper pot stills (like Scotland). They use a clay still with bamboo tubing.

While this very interesting, it does divert a little bit from the single village concept, since another new variable has been introduced which would make this one different from the rest anyway, even if it was distilled in the same town or even distillery.

Still. Pretty kick ass that this ancient production method is still being used. More so if the booze is good, contrary to the wooden stills of Monterey’s Lost Spirits distillery.

Sniff:
Much heavier and much more perfumy than the other mezcals so far. Perfumy in a slightly cloyingly sweet way. Not unpleasant, but unexpected. A tad more mineral like too. There is a hint of peppermint coming through after that too, which is followed by a huge hit of licorice after a couple of minutes.

Sip:
The palate is huge on the peppermint with just a hint of the thick agave syrup. It also has that dryness of peppermint too. Some alcohol and a peppery heat. Very different and interesting but a tad one dimensional.

Swallow:
The finish has big notes of agave. The peppermint is here too, and spearmint as well. It’s long and slightly less sweet.

I only find the smoke in this one when I actively think that I missed that. So, if it’s actually here or just suggestive is open for debate. The hints of peppermint are very surprising and, as said before, slightly overpowering and therefore making is a little one dimensional. Especially on the palate. The nose and finish have some other interesting notes and this is certainly not a drink without merit. It’s just not as complex as the other three.

Still, a worth bit of booze to have in my collection, but this is not one I’d quickly consider for purchasing a full bottle of. Contrary to all the others so far.

Having said that. If you’re already in to mezcal and want something that’s different from the others, this might just fill that void.

Minero, Del Maguey, 49%, Santa Catarina Minas. Available in NL for some € 70 and the UK for £ 70.

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Mezcal Festival Day 4: Del Maguey San Luis Del Rio Azul, 47%

Posted on 12 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Apparently there was a shortage of agave during 2000 to 2004. Since a lot of the agave used for mezcal is not cultivated but harvested from the wild, the guys at Del Maguey had to come up with something.

Add to a shortage the fact that most types of agave need the better part of a decade to mature, you can imagine they were kind of anxious to get everything secured quickly.

When truckers came from Jalisco, they brought blue agave, or Weber agave, or Maguey Azul with them to plant in Oaxaca. San Luis Del Rio to be exact. After seven years a blue agave mezcal was made.

I like to think of this one as a nice cross over between tequila and mezcal, since tequila is always made from blue agave (which is grown in Jalisco, mostly). So, apart from this being a single village mezcal, this also is a different kind of agave. Cool stuff, since the Mezcal Vida from Del Maguey is also from San Luis Del Rio, but made with 100% Espadin agave.

Sniff:
Very plant like and a lot more agave flavor here. Less smoky too, maybe because this is earth roasted and the Vida isn’t (I don’t know that, I might ask around). This does smell a lot more like tequila, without being as clean. There is a hint of dirty smoke behind it, with some green banana and other unripe fruits. Slightly solventy too.

Sip:
The palate again holds the middle between tequila and the other mezcals I’ve tried. It’s very interesting since it has the smoke, oil fumes and burning plants sensation of mezcal like Chichicapa and Vida, with the crisp, agave like flavors of tequila. Quite dry if you let it sit for a while, with a leather like feel. Some fruit, more crisp than on the nose. Apple, cactus, melon maybe.

Swallow:
The finish has that solventy note again. There’s smoke too, quite like burning plants and huge on the agave notes. Not too fierce, and nicely warming.

I was a bit apprehensive of this one since a fellow sharer thought it was rather glue-y. I can see what he’s getting at with the solventy notes I get too. I do think the blue agave adds a nice touch to a product trying to set itself apart.

Is it nice? Well, yes. Although if you want a really good mezcal you might better go for the Chichicapa since that has the more quintessential scents and flavors. This one is really good for diversification though.

Also, my bottle came with a cork stopper dipped in beeswax. That’s kind of awesome.

San Luis Del Rio, agave Azul, Del Maguey, 47%. Available at DrankGigant for € 67.50. In the UK it’s over £ 100 somehow.

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The common cold

Posted on 9 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The kids brought home a virus from daycare again. This sucks. My nose is clogged and has been so for days.

I only have notes for one more post lined up and will try to post that ASAP. It’s going to be about the spirits already made at Wolfburn distillery in Turso. So, the Mezcal Festival will be on hold for a couple more days.

Apart from that, this week’s drinking will obviously not be about exploring all kinds of new spirits. Which is fine, since I have a lot of booze lined up for heel slaying, bottoms up stuff, and such. I’ll be finishing some of them over the coming days I think.

Also, I won’t have to bother with blogging for a while because of that and that comes in handy too, since I’m kind of busy finishing the first edition of De Kiln for 2015. Our wee club magazine deserves some TLC, especially since it’s the Usquebaugh Society‘s 25th anniversary this year!

Kind of a FYI post, but just so you know…

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Mezcal Festival Prolongation: Another bottle-share

Posted on 6 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I announced it on Facebook yesteday, and I sent out some emails to my Dutch bottle-share buddies. But since they haven’t filled up the bottle-share yet, I’m trying to give it a bit more exposure here.

The previous bottle-share with the Del Maguey mezcals filled up rather quickly and I had a short waiting list for that too. This gave me the idea to explore the type of hooch a bit further.

Del Maguey does single village mezcals but also does some specific agave types and all kinds of weird stuff with meat and poultry in the still. But, for a second bottle share I want to go in a slightly different direction.

I found a Dutch liquor shop that sells the following mezcals, which I want to share:

Marca Negra (two types) which get really positive reviews at MezcalPhD, which is a mezcal blog I found a while ago. One of the bottlings is at a slightly increased drinking strength of 46%, while the second is at 50.9% abv, which I expect to be natural strength.

Leyenda (three types) which explores the terroir and agave type as well as Del Maguey. While Del Maguey’s bottles we shared were all from Oaxaca, I believe the Leyenda also explores some of the other areas where mezcal can legally be produced. Also, each of their releases are made from one specific kind of agave.

While mezcal is not too expensive at the moment, these are rather high end and are in a slightly higher price bracket than the bad booze with worms or larvae in it. We don’t want that, now do we?

5cl of all five of these mezcals will set you back € 22.50, while 10cl of each will cost € 40.

If you’re interested, please let me know and I’ll set it up! There’s about 15 to 20cl left of this, but I don’t want to end up with too large samples and a hole in my bank account!

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Mezcal Festival Day 3: Del Maguey Chichicapa, 46%

Posted on 6 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Chichicapa is a small village a couple of hours south of Oaxaca, according to Del Maguey’s website. It’s strange since Google Maps doesn’t really pick up on it but does show a Chichicapa north of Oaxaca in the Tabasco.

Anyway, this is a mezcal that I got recommended by my buddy BC, and was hugely positively reviewed by Ralfy in his ‘South American’ spirits series a while ago. I believe it got some 93 points.

The environment where these agaves were grown is desert like and is separated from the rest of the Oaxaca area by a mountain range. A deep valley is where the climate is suitable for mango and banana production.

Sniff:
The nose is light and gentle with less smoke than the Vida. It’s rather fruity and green with clear hints of agave, orange and lime. Also I’m getting vanilla, but something meaty too. Like Dutch liver sausage, strangely. It’s rather light on the spicy too, I think I’m getting dill. Quite warming.

Sip:
The palate is as gentle as the nose, and crisp too. The smoke is very, very light and gentle with pepper, peppercorns, and that plant like flavor again, which must be the agave in a different way. It’s almost wood like in this case. Some vanilla and cactus.

Swallow:
The finish is much heavier on the agave than before, but still not as clear and strong as tequila. There’s pepper but it still is rather silky. Long, gentle and creamy, with more smoke towards the end too.

I can see why this mezcal is very award winning and came highly recommended. I absolutely love this stuff and the combination of lots of light flavors makes this the Mexican equivalent of a young Rosebank whisky or so. Of course, that doesn’t make any sense, since the flavors don’t match, and there’s smoke.

What I mean to say is that compared to some other, heavier spirits, this is much more crisp, light and delicate than I expected. Strangely, others thought this more heavy than I did, but in the end that doesn’t really matter. It’s gorgeous. Really, really gorgeous. I’m seriously considering stocking up on this for future use.

Keep in mind that prices vary per country. Quite vast, actually. In The Netherlands this stuff costs about € 70, while the UK shops charge about the same in pounds. At current, rather crappy, exchange rates that makes it about 35% more expensive in England.

Del Maguey Chichicapa, 46%. Available at Slijterij Leiden for € 70.95 or The Whisky Exchange for £ 68.45

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Mezcal Festival Day 2: Del Maguey Vida, 42%

Posted on 5 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

When I did the bottle share I quickly decided that it would be focused around Del Maguey’s mezcals. Somehow they seemed to be the top of the line and the less random booze of a single village mezcal appealed to me. I guess that’s the whisky anorak speaking, but I want info, and identifiable causes for different flavors.

Since most of the booze was going to be Espadin agave, there had to be another way of identifying the liquid, and apparently the terroir of the agave, and therefore the flavor of the distillate seems to do the trick.

Del Maguey’s Vida is their entry level mezcal. The main product of the line, but still a single village mezcal, heralding from San Luis Del Rio, in Oaxaca. It is made from 100% Espadin Agave and bottled at a somewhat lighter ABV of 42%. Compared to the others that is.

I did take care of picking only ‘normal’ mezcals since Del Maguey have been screwing around with their product a little bit by hanging chicken breasts or an Iberico ham in their still while running it. I kid you not. While this might be an interesting experiment, I find the entire idea puts me off. I would like to taste that ham, though!

Luckily, this one is pure and unadulterated by any kind of meat or poultry.

Sniff:
Thick and syrupy with strong scents of vanilla. Of course, the agave is noticeable with quite some smoke and a smaller spicy note. Quite creamy, with greasy smoke. Not like an engine smoke though. More like burning plants.

Sip:
The palate is a lot more fruity than the nose, and than expected. There’s hints of creamy orange yogurt and banana. Hints of pepper and salsa verde. Some vanilla again with a lighter smokiness. Agave and a dry sensation.

Swallow:
The finish is very consistent with the flavor albeit somewhat less fruity than the palate. It’s long with vanilla, plants and thick smoke.

I haven’t tried the other Del Magueys yet (getting the Chichicapa in a minute!), but if this is the entry level it sure is promising! Especially at the price this is going at, it’s a lovely drink and there’s quite a lot to discover. The fruitiness surprised me, and in a good way. It added something to the mix that is quite lovely and different from most things I’ve tried before.

If you’re not sure if you’re going to like mezcal but are willing to try it for yourself by buying a bottle, this is the one I would suggest, based on my limited knowledge. It shows quality, and is rather affordable (to us whisky geeks, that is).

So, without comparing to the other Del Magueys, this is highly recommended.

Mezcal Festival Day 2: Del Maguey Vida, 42%. Available at Slijterij Leiden’s website for € 38.95

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Mezcal Festival Day 1: Derrumbes Oaxaca Joven Mezcal, 48%

Posted on 3 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The Mezcal Festival. Something I cooked up. I wanted to do it earlier and call it the Mezcal Carnaval, but I just couldn’t get around to it. Things are ridiculously chaotic at home with my wife and I not having nearly enough sleep, a lot of things going on and an ever expanding to-do list.

Anyway, this bottle was in the tasting JK and I hosted at work at the end of January. I’ll follow this post with the Del Maguey bottle-share that I organized in January too. I also have another one that I’ll crack open at the end of the week to finish things off. That’s the Ilegal Joven.

All mezcals in this theme week are going to be blancos, or jovens. When looking for a side track from whisky I decided I wanted a white spirit for a little bit. Mostly because almost all booze seems to be aged in oak and for oak based flavors I can always get whisky. Maybe I’ll do some brandies or Armagnac at some point, but so far some white spirits to balance out the oak!

This mezcal comes form the central valley in Oaxaca and is made using Espadin agave. There’s not much of a surprise in that, since most mezcal is made using that type. The brand aims to take the drinker through the different regions of mezcal production, and different types of agave as well. So far, Speciality Drinks has imported the Oaxaca and the Michoacan editions. I’ll keep my eye out for new ones, since I find this an interesting concept.

More info here.

Sniff:
Thick machine oil at first with oil and grease. Then I get strong hints of cocoa heavy mole, agave and cactus, with a fruity note of over ripe banana.

Sip:
The palate shows smoke too but in a different kind, more wood smoke like. It’s gentle and thick, more fruity too. Some pepper but not incredibly outspoken.

Swallow:
The finish is a lot more in your face, with lots of smoke and lots of agave. The hint of cactus is back too, and other plants. The chocolate hints are present again too.

It’s a bit of a weird one, this. I picked it since I was told it wasn’t a difficult mezcal to start with, but in the violence of great whiskies, it might have been a bit too timid. When I tried it on its own it was quite lovely, albeit a bit ‘careful’.

I might have chosen a different one to introduce people to mezcal if I had been able to taste some different ones before selecting the line-up, but based on the very mixed reactions it might have been ‘in-your-face’ enough for a lot of the people attending the tasting.

Anyway, without putting it in a tasting it’s a nice mezcal. It’s not too expensive, but I think it’s not the most impressive one I’ve tried in this price bracket.

Derrumbes Oaxaca Joven Mezcal, 48%. It’s available from The Whisky Exchange for £ 45.75

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A boozy dinner at friends (on the other side of the country)

Posted on 1 March 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another short picture report.

I didn’t take pictures of the main dish, which was a 2 kilo leg of lamb with risotto. It was awesome. Very, very awesome.

Un aperitif

Un aperitif

AWESOME

AWESOME

Pumpkin Pie for dessert

Pumpkin Pie for dessert

Vin doux naturel

Vin doux naturel

First dram. A very good basic.

First dram. A very good basic.

Never had this one before. Quite typical Yamazaki flavors

Never had this one before. Quite typical Yamazaki flavors

Finished this one. Damn.

Finished this one. Damn.

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Convalmore 1981, 22yo, 58.6% – Jack Wiebers

Posted on 28 February 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Convalmore is an interesting distillery. Mostly because it closed in 1985. The eighties saw many distilleries closing, like Port Ellen, Brora and many others. Unlike those two, Convalmore hasn’t been many people’s focus since the whisky supposedly wasn’t all that good. The same can be said about Port Ellen, back in those days, though.

However, even though I haven’t tasted all that many Convalmores, the ones I’ve had have all been rather kick-ass. There was one at Maltstock in a tasting by Michael Lord. The first Blind Tasting Competition closed with one as well.

Even if you check prices now, they’ve gone up obviously. It’s not in the range of many of the other closed distilleries, so that might be rather interesting when watching auctions. Anyway, I think I traded this sample with whisky buddy Martin. Or I bought it, but at least it’s coming from him.

Convalmore 22yo. Image from Whiskybase

Convalmore 22yo. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
The nose is old and typical of many whiskies I’ve tried from this period. It’s quite like old Clynelish and Inchgower, and other Highlands or Speyside distilleries. Which means I find it hard to describe. At least there’s oak and lots of wax. Beeswax and candles. A light hint of smoke and licorice, mint and a hint of solvent. Freshly cut oak and wood oils.

Sip:
The palate is very old fashioned as well, with lots and lots of oak, acrylic paint and solvent. Also the beeswax and candles again. Pine resin and pine needles. Honey, mint, menthol (not unlike the cigarettes). Chalk and licorice.

Swallow:
The finish is suddenly much, much more fruity with pineapple, fresh and crisp apple, pear, melon. A light smoke again and the paint and solvent flavor is back too. Syrupy.

When I opened this sample and poured it, I walked upstairs to let the misses have a sniff. Unfortunately for her she had just brushed her teeth and couldn’t revel in the greatness of this dram. It’s an absolutely gorgeous one and shows a very old fashioned character that I really, really love. The oak is huge but not overpowering and there are lots of other flavors and scents to keep you busy.

I really enjoy the pine and wax flavors. Unfortunately you don’t find them very often. At least not in drams that I generally find affordable. In this case, I might have to remember it and look for it in auctions. I love this stuff and I want a bottle of it.

Convalmore 1981, 22yo, 58.6%, Jack Wiebers. No clue to current prices. I think Whiskybase is out of date in this case (they state some € 135).

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