Full Review

Erstwhile

Erstwhile
2021 Espadin Mezcal

Category: Blanco Mezcal

Date Tasted:
Country: Mexico
Alcohol: 48%
93 Points
Gold Medal
Exceptional
$55

Erstwhile
2021 Espadin Mezcal

Category: Blanco Mezcal

Date Tasted:
Country: Mexico
Alcohol: 48%
Clear color. Aromas and flavors of soy sauce, orange oil, sweaty leather and saddle soap, and paprika with a satiny, crisp, dry medium body and a peppery, refreshing, medium-long finish imparting notes of smoky leather, caramelized smoldering brown sugar, tack room, saddle soap, and cast iron sautéed and blistered poblano. Smoky, leathery, and smells of the countryside lead into a palate that tastes like summer memories.

Tasting Info

Spirits Glass Style: Spicy & Complex
Aroma Aroma: soy sauce, orange oil, sweaty leather and saddle soap, and paprika
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with notes of smoky leather, caramelized smoldering brown sugar, tack room, saddle soap, and cast iron sautéed and blistered poblano
Smoothness Smoothness: Peppery
Enjoy Enjoy: in cocktails, on the rocks and with cigars
Cocktail Cocktails: Paloma, Sangrita, Tommy's Margarita
Bottom Line Bottom Line: Smoky, leathery, and smells of the countryside lead into a palate that tastes like summer memories.

The Producer

Erstwhile Mezcal

The Producer

Their Portfolio

93 Erstwhile 2021 Espadin Mezcal 48% (Mexico) $55.00.

Blanco Mezcal

Spirits Glass Copita Clear.jpg
Serve in a Copita
Blanco mezcal is a spirit from Mexico that can be made from as many as 18 different types of the agave plant, some cultivated and some wild. Most are produced in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. A blanco mezcal is distilled in a copper still (sometimes double distilled) and is not aged in oak, thus preserving a clear appearance.

Mezcal is often confused with tequila, as both are made from agave. But while tequila must be made from one specific blue agave, mezcal can be produced from eighteen different types of agave (maguey). There are two types of mezcal, those made exclusively from maguey and those made from at least 80% maguey mixed with other ingredients. Mezcal has similar aging terms as tequila, such as reposado and añejo, but generally mezcal is more of an artisanal product, so examples of mezcal vary more than tequila.

Most are double-distilled, while some are triple-distilled and then aged for several years in oak barrels. Flavors range from smoked herbs and pepper to tobacco and charred fruits. Serve these on their own, in an adventuresome cocktail, or with a cigar.

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