Mezcal, Cirial Artesanal

• Mezcal distilled in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, in January 2021
• Maestro Mezcalero Gonzalo Martínez Sernas
• 100% Cirial (A. karwinskii)
• Cooked in a conical earthen oven using pine and mesquite
• Milled using a horse-drawn stone tahona
• Fermented in Encino oak vats (tinas) using deep well water
• Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills
• Rested in glass demijohns for 30 months before bottling
• Opens up into nostalgic aromas of an old cider mill, strawberry-rhubarb pie, lemon curd, vanilla bean, celery salt, and mineral notes of granite, wet slate, and lingering petrol, while the palate delivers layers upon layers of tropical fruit, reverberating with white jasmine blossoms, jicama, and a hint of sesame
• Distilled in January 2021; 105 liters produced
• 52.86% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

The regional A. karwinskii subvariety Cirial has long been a specialty of Gonzalo Martínez Sernas and his family (on its own and in ensambles—particularly alongside Jabalí), yet this is the first batch of 100% Cirial from Macurichos to arrive stateside! An assertive initial pour relaxes quickly into a dynamic and racy mezcal, crowd-pleasing while retaining a distinct bite at nearly 53% ABV.