Stands Out

Alipus San Juan del Rio Mezcal

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Alipus San Juan del Rio Mezcal

47.5% ABV
$50-$60
Website
Alipus San Juan Del Rio Mezcal

What the Producer Says

Alipús Mezcal is a gift born from the soul of our land. It captivates us with its various presentations, each one a unique expression connecting us to the families that create their particular elixir for the delightful enjoyment of the world. Alipús Mezcal is an open invitation to Mexico as your second home.

Founded in 1999, Alipús started out as an alternative project supported by Los Danzantes Distillery. The idea was to create a map of Oaxacan mezcals showing how the conditions where each is produced differentiates the final product, with distinct soils, waters and climates having a singular influence on the land where each mezcal is grown.

Alipús seeks to promote and develop awareness about traditional mezcal producers in Oaxaca – in particular about their knowledge and high-quality products. Current distribution and branding efforts have resulted in superlative reviews and increased economic development for traditional mezcal farmers where before there was very little.

100% maguey Espadín (Agave angustifolia Haw.)
Roasting: Stone-lined pit at ground level.
Milling: Millstone pulled by horse.
Fermentation: 2,500-liter pine vats.
Distillation: Discontinuous double distillation in copper stills.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
Master mezcaleros: Joel, René, Abelio Antonio Juan and Rodolfo Juan Juárez.
Soil: San Juan del Rio, Tlacolula, Oaxaca. Tierras blancas, poor in organic material, with stony, silt texture.
Palenque elevation: 1,125 MASL.
Altitude at which the maguey is planted: 1,250 to 1,700 MASL

TASTING NOTES:
Color: Clear.
Aroma: Caramel, roasted maguey, citrus, spices and herbs.
Palate: Herbal and mineral notes. Light, rugged flavors. Fresh acidity with medium lingering flavor.
Pairing: Enchiladas mineras, scrambled eggs, aged cheese, garnachas istmeñas (meat pies).

What Gary Says

DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Mezcal (so read at your own risk!)
Nose:  Earthy smokiness, edging on peaty, more vegetal with agave and grilled poblano peppers.
Palate:  Thick and viscous mouthfeel, sweet, earthy with a smokey bit of lime, tangerine and orange, pepper, subtle corn.
Finish:  Short in length, really dry with tobacco and roasted lime.
Comments:  My third and last of the three samples from the Flaviar Mezcal tasting box, and the most different of the three. More smoke and earthiness, less corn, more lime. Hard to pick if I liked this more than the Rey Campero Espadin Mezcal; this reminds me more of a peaty Scotch than a corn-distillate white dog. I really liked it. Really thick and viscous, like a nice non-chill filtered single malt. Last reminder –  given my inexperience in this category, I’m not comfortable assigning any different rating for these three. I enjoyed this one the most, but can’t really inform if it was a good, average, great example of the category – so will leave it as Stands Out. If anyone finds I’m short-changing any, that’s the reason why.

Rating: Stands Out

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Mezcal Vago Elote

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Mezcal Vago Elote

49.7% ABV
$60
Website
Mezcal Vago Elote

What the Distillery Says

Each of our unique mezcals is naturally made in a traditional palenque with no additives. On the front label of each of our bottles, all the information is there about who made it, what pueblo, what agave, details in the process, size of batch and more.

This is connoisseur mezcal. We aim to empower both the master craftsmen with a celebration of his art, and also the consumer by giving them the knowledge they need to find a great mezcal. All of our mezcals are joven (young) and clear, exactly as our mezcaleros have been crafting them for generations.
NOTE: My sample from Flaviar only states the ABV at 49.7%, and not the other details unfortunately.

What Gary Says

DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Mezcal (so read at your own risk!)
Nose:  Roasted corn, vegetal, subtle tropical fruitiness, cut hay, smoke with a touch of menthol.
Palate:  Cast iron corn bread, fresh cracked pepper, subtle fruit, bit of lime.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, smokey and drying with lime zest.
Comments:  My second of the three samples from the Flaviar Mezcal tasting box, and very similar to the Rey Campero Espadin Mezcal – just a bit more smoke, less fruity, bit more of an edge.  A bit of water didn’t thicken this one up like the Rey Campero either, so while neat they were fairly similar – if I was picking a favorite of the two I would go with that one. Nothing objectionable here – another enjoyable pour. and the fruit leaning towards lime – with a bit of a pepper bite . As a reminder, given my inexperience in this category, I’m not comfortable assigning any different rating for these three. I enjoyed this one, and despite liking the other more, can’t really inform if it was a good, average, great example of the category – so will leave it as Stands Out. If anyone finds I’m short-changing any, that’s the reason why.

Rating: Stands Out

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Rey Campero Espadin Mezcal

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Rey Campero Espadin Mezcal

48.3% ABV
$50
Website
Rey Campero Espadin Mezcal

What the Distillery Says

NOTE: Content is in Spanish, below is using Google Translate; apologies for any errors!
The size of the maguey espadín is 1.5 m wide and 1 m high on average. It is the most used in Oaxaca for the production of mezcal. It is the maguey with the greatest geographic presence in Mexico, whose morphological plasticity led to the description of more than 20 species. The maturation time varies between 7 and 10 years.

What Gary Says

DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Mezcal (so read at your own risk!)
Nose:  Roasted corn, vegetal, smokey botanicals and herbs, notes of cut hay, tropical fruitiness, olives, and lemongrass.
Palate:  Roasted corn with dried ‘not ripe yet’ orange, kiwi and mango, bit of green tobacco.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with smoke and tobacco.
Comments:  This was the first of three samples in a Flaviar Mezcal tasting box (which I sampled/reviewed side by side), and my first studied tasting of Mezcal. As I’m most familiar with whisk(e)y, I naturally find similarities there – with this reminding me a bit of a white dog; young, corny, but smokey and less sweet. I preferred this after a bit of water was added, which thickened the mouthfeel and sweetened it up more. Given my inexperience in this category, I’m not comfortable assigning any different rating for these three. I enjoyed it, but couldn’t assess if it was a good, average, great example of the category – so will leave it as Stands Out. If anyone finds I’m short-changing any, that’s the reason why.

Rating: Stands Out

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Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey

50% ABV
$55-$60
Website
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey

What the Producer Says

Uncle Nearest 1856 is a blend of premium aged whiskies between 8 and 14 years old. It has a caramel color with a beautiful deep golden hue. On the nose, baled hay and pumpkin seeds with subtle notes of ripe stone fruit and caramel corn. Bold and spicy upfront then mellows with sweet caramel and maple, like biting into an oatmeal raisin cookie. The finish is long and rich. It lingers pleasantly sweet on the palate with notes of vanilla after the spice dissipates.

APPEARANCE: Light caramel, straw/hay, beautiful deep golden hue
NOSE: Bale of hay, dried grass, stone fruit notes of ripe peach and apricot, caramel corn and sweet maple.
PALATE: Spicy caramel up front with the proof, hints of maple then mellows with dried fruit and floral notes. Sweetness and spice reminiscent of freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies.
FINISH: Long and rich finish, lingers pleasantly sweet on the palate, notes of vanilla.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet vanilla wafers, light caramel, oak, vitamins, subtle spice notes and maple candies.
Palate:  Caramel corn, vanilla, honey, bit of pepper, with a nutty minerality, nutmeg, subtle oak with a hint of clove.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with honey, oak and pepper.
Comments:  An enjoyable pour, where the Dickel house style notes are present throughout. The corn notes left the impression that this was younger than it is. Water isn’t needed, but a bit does tamp the pepper spice (which wasn’t a lot to start with) and brighten, bringing notes of fruit to the nose.

Rating: Stands Out

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Compass Box Myths & Legends III

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Compass Box Myths & Legends III
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$150
Website
Compass Box Myths and Legends III

What the Blender Says

Scotch whisky has a rich array of stories, myths and legends.

However, what start as myths can become received wisdom, influencing our understanding and restricting our enjoyment. We have deployed blending to challenge assumptions, biases and prejudices concerning Scotch in this limited edition series we call Myths & Legends.

For Myths & Legends III we have taken some of the same parcels of malt whisky used in Myths & Legends II and added peated malt whiskies from a pair of celebrated island distilleries.

Some would object to our actions on principle. Famous single malts are always too precious for blending, they say; the sanctity of the category seems to take precedence over quality.

However, thanks to our parcels of well-regarded malt whiskies, the tropical fruit and butterscotch notes of Myths & Legends II are now further enriched by a deep and enchantingly aromatic smoke profile.

Never blend the famous names? The breadth of generous and complex flavours found in Myths & Legends III dismantles such superstitious thinking.

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Papaya, mango and butterscotch meld with aromatic and assertive peatiness.

SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS: Enjoy neat, late at night, and in the heaviest glass you can find.

Not Chill-Filtered, Light 5 Micron Filtration | Natural Colour | Lead Whiskymakers: Jill Boyd and James Saxon | A limited edition of 4,564 bottles | July 2019

What Gary Says

Nose:  Freshly shoveled earth and peat, caramel, faint fruit notes.
Palate:  Thick and creamy mouthfeel, rich fruit with butterscotch, peat and smoke.
Finish:  Long, drying with peat and fruit.
Comments:  I do love peat, so if someone said “What if we take some Myths & Legends II and add some peat and smoke?”, I would not have batted an eye, nor discouraged it.  For this, they took the components for Myths & Legends II and added some 23 yr old Highland Park, as well as some 15 yr Caol Ila to the Glen Elgin party (with the additions amounting to just 15%).  I like both of those distilleries, so would further have been on board. I think this is a fine example of where “less is more”.  Wish I had tried this one first so I wouldn’t have Myths & Legends II to compare against, as I think I likely would find this a perfectly delicious pour.  The nose is a lot more peaty than the palate, and some water brings out more notes of kiwi and mango on the nose. But if someone offered me my choice from the series, I’d go with II without much of a thought.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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