Mezcal Espadín 'Destilado con Cacao'

• Mezcal produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
• Maestro Mezcalero Valentin Martinez Sernas
• Made from 100% Espadín (Agave angustifolia) matured between 6–12 years
• Cooked in conical earthen pit oven using pine and mesquite wood
• Milled using traditional horse-drawn stone tahona
• Fermented in Encino oak vats (tinas) using proprietary well water
• Distilled twice using a traditional clay pot Filipino still
• The second distillation sees the addition of fresh Oaxacan cacao made by Gonzalo’s sisters
• Rested 21 months in glass
• Hot cocoa on the nose; the palate is graceful and light on its feet with pink peppercorn, jasmine, and herbs; light but pronounced smoke gives a mature backbone to the notes of cacao and the finish is salty and earthy
• 48.8% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

Tasting Notes

Produced by Maestro Mezcalero Valentin Martinez Sernas, in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. Made from 100% Espadín that has been roasted in an earthen oven, milled using a traditional stone tahona, fermented in wooden vats, and distilled using a traditional clay pot still. Fresh Oaxacan cacao made by Gonzalo’s sisters is added on the second distillation run.

Oaxaca is famous for its chocolate and with good reason! The aroma of this spirit transports you to a roadside comida in Matatlán, the scent of hot cocoa rising to meet you long before you even get your nose to the glass. With such a deep and robust aroma, the implication of bitter, dark chocolate to follow is deceptive; the palate is graceful and light on its feet, with a bright pink peppercorn, jasmine, and herbs on the mid-palate. Light but pronounced smoke gives a mature backbone to the notes of cacao and the finish is salty and earthy—even a bit dusty—like unwrapping a piece of dry chocolate on a dirt road. 48.8% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)